Check the licence first
Anyone who arranges home loans in Australia must hold an Australian Credit Licence, or be a credit representative of a licensee. Ask for the number and search it on ASIC's professional registers. The broker's credit guide, which they must give you before they start, also shows it, along with the lenders they use most, how they are paid and how to complain.
What they must give you
- A credit guide: licence or representative number, the lenders they deal with most, fees and commissions, and how to complain.
- A written quote, which you sign, before any fee you pay them directly.
- A credit proposal document when they recommend a loan, with its fees and an estimate of their commission.
- Their reasons: why the loan they recommend is in your best interests.
If something goes wrong
Complain to the broker first. If that does not resolve it, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) handles complaints about brokers and lenders for free.
How brokers and banks compare.
Sources
- ASIC, Professional registers search (credit licensees and credit representatives)
- Moneysmart, Using a mortgage broker
- National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 (credit guide, quote and credit proposal disclosure, sections 113 to 121; best interests duty, section 158LA)
- Australian Financial Complaints Authority
General information only, not credit or financial advice. We are not a lender or a broker and hold no Australian Credit Licence. Rates shown are RBA market averages, not offers.