AMP Bank announces industry-first partnership with Bricklet to support first home buyers
AMP Bank has today announced an industry-first partnership with Bricklet, a shared equity home platform, to help more Australians get into the property market sooner.
In partnership with AMP Bank, Bricklet’s Homeowner platform enables buyers who don’t have a 20 per cent deposit, but have an appropriate income to service their loan, to purchase residential property as an owner-occupier. The home loan is provided by AMP Bank.
Through Bricklet’s platform, an investor (or multiple investors) contributes to the deposit and receives an equity stake in the property, relative to their contribution. The buyer makes mortgage repayments, in addition to paying an occupancy fee to the investor. At any time, the homeowner can buy out the investor portion of the equity if they choose to, or the homeowner can choose to sell the property.
One of the biggest barriers to home ownership in Australia are the upfront costs, including the 20 per cent deposit, which can take several years to accumulate. Three in four first home buyers paid or are planning to pay less than 20 per cent for a deposit1, which shows most buyers would prefer to enter the property market sooner and the opportunity to build equity earlier in life.
Becoming the first lender to partner with Bricklet forms part of AMP’s strategy to leverage and build partnerships to support the Bank’s growth and follows the launch of the digital mortgage with Nano in October 2022.
Sean O’Malley, AMP Bank Group Executive said, “Despite falling property prices in Australia, we know many people are still struggling to save a deposit for their first home.
“Owning property is an important part of building long-term wealth and financial security, so we are focused on supporting more Australians to take this important step earlier in life.
“This offer provides a different option for those who haven’t yet saved a large deposit but are earning enough to meet the ongoing financial commitment of a home loan.
“AMP Bank is pleased to have partnered with Bricklet to support Australians in realising their home ownership aspirations.
“It’s an example of AMP Bank innovating, leveraging the expertise of our partners to move quickly, supporting our customers, and driving our growth aspirations for the Bank.”
Darren Younger, Bricklet CEO said, “We’re enabling people to get a mortgage for their home and then rent the remaining piece from an investor.
“There are now a variety of opportunities for homebuyers, but it comes down to how they want to purchase property, and what they qualify for. One of the main reasons we created this was because a lot of people don’t qualify for government schemes. They either earn a bit too much, have already owned before, don’t meet the price cap, or miss out because spots are limited.
“Buyers get all the benefits of living in the home, and all the gains from price growth of their share of the house.
“The proposition has received strong interest and planning is underway to expand the offer for more prospective property buyers.”