Housing industry insights
Advocacy & policy
News & inspiration
Support & guidance
Member perks
Industry insurance
For your business
Apprentices
Building it right
Building materials & products
Managing your business
Managing your safety
Building your business
Other subjects
A rewarding career
Study with us
A job in the industry
Grow with us
Our podcasts
Our initiatives
Get involved
Awards
Awards winners
Industry events
Most popular products
Top categories
For your business
{{propApi.title}}
{{propApi.text}} {{region}} Change location{{propApi.title}}
{{propApi.successMessage}} {{region}} Change location {{propApi.title}}
{{propApi.text}} {{region}} Change location{{propApi.title}}
{{propApi.successMessage}} {{region}} Change locationLending restrictions should be eased
Lending restrictions should be eased
Member and guest login
Enter your email and password to access secured content, members only resources and discount prices.
Did you become a member online? If not, you will need to activate your account to login.
If you are having problems logging in, please call HIA helpdesk on 1300 650 620 during business hours.
Forgotten password
Need some help?
If you are having problems logging in, please call HIA helpdesk on 1300 650 620 during business hours.
If the email address you have entered is registered, you will receive an email with further instructions.
Become part of the HIA community
Enables quick and easy registration for future events or learning and grants access to expert advice and valuable resources.
Create a guest account
Enter your details below and create a login
Send me exclusive tips, early access to new launches, and special offers. I can change my mind at any time.
By clicking Get started now you agree to the terms and conditions and privacy policy.
“Just as tightening lending conditions have not seen a fall in mortgage delinquency, so too an easing in these conditions are not likely to see them increase,” added Mr Tapang.
The ABS released the Lending Indicators data for the December quarter 2024 today, which provides the latest statistics on housing finance commitments.
“Investors have been active in building new homes in this cycle, and increasingly, owner-occupiers have been slowly returning to market as well,” stated HIA Economist, Maurice Tapang.
“Lending for new housing has seen modest growth off a low base, consistent with expectations of a slow increase in home building in 2025,” added Mr Tapang.
“The number of loans to owner-occupiers for the purchase or construction of new dwellings were up by 0.8 per cent in the December quarter 2024 compared to the same period in the previous year.
“This brought the number of owner-occupier loans for new dwellings in the 2024 calendar year to 54,400, which was 5.2 per cent higher compared to 2023.
“Lending to investors building or buying a new dwelling grew more sharply, with 19.2 per cent more investor loans for new dwellings issued in the 2024 calendar year compared to 2023.
“Investors have been key early in this cycle in adding to new housing supply and increasing the volume of properties available for rent.
“As is typical of cycles of rising interest rates, the first to return to market are investors followed by trade-up owner occupiers, first home buyers and increasingly those building a new home.
“Owner-occupiers are slowly re-entering the market, with the number of loans issued up by 5.8 per cent compared to 2023.
“The rise in owner-occupier lending has been driven by both first home buyer lending, which increased by 5.5 per cent in 2024, and non-first home buyers which rose by 6.0 per cent over the same period.
“The Government’s lending restrictions have been tightened progressively over the past 15 years. This is despite mortgage delinquencies remaining exceptionally close to zero. If the Government seeks to ease lending restrictions to first home buyers
“Even without a cut to the cash rate, home buyers of all types from investors to first home buyers and non-first home buyers have already started coming back to the market,” concluded Mr Tapang.
The number of loans issued in 2024 to owner occupiers for the purchase and construction of new dwellings increased in Western Australia (+24.6 per cent), followed by Queensland (+16.1 per cent) and South Australia (+15.1 per cent). Declines over the same period were recorded in the Australian Capital Territory (-26.7 per cent), Victoria (-5.3 per cent), Tasmania (-4.8 per cent), the Northern Territory (-1.3 per cent) and New South Wales (-1.0 per cent).
HIA’s paper on Lending is a Risky Business
Owner-occupier lending for new dwellings
For more information please contact:
Government delays ATO credit card payment changes
The Federal Government has announced that the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will continue to accept credit card payments for tax liabilities until the end of the 2026-27 financial year, delaying changes that were previously due to take effect on 1 December.
Government provides breathing space for builders and tradies on ATO credit card ban
The Housing Industry Association (HIA) welcomes the Federal Government's stepping in and agreeing to delay the Australian Taxation Office's (ATO) proposed ban on credit card payments, providing builders, tradies and suppliers with much-needed breathing space while a longer-term solution is developed.
HIA Victoria not failing housing targets as badly as others is not success
The Housing Industry Association (HIA) says the Victorian results in the HIA National Housing Accord Update released yesterday, while not as poor as some other states, highlight the urgent need for a reset in housing policy after the upcoming state election.
HIA Safety Summit headlines National Safe Work Month
HIA’s annual Safety Summit is being held today in Adelaide (8 October) and will bring together industry leaders, regulators and workplace safety experts, providing practical guidance to help residential builders and tradies create safer worksites and support compliance in an ever-changing world.