As we come from both a property investment and ADF background, we’re in a unique position to discuss the special ADF housing entitlements that you are eligible to receive. These are loosely grouped into two categories – ‘assistance to purchase’ (HPAS/HPSEA) and ‘assistance to repay the loan’ (DHOAS). Now, let’s have a look at both of these – and put the terms against the acronyms. Keep in mind that while the information here is always available in the PACMAN for you to check up on anytime, it will not be laid out as simply as this!
As a member of the ADF, you are eligible for assistance to purchase your own home. HPAS comes in the form of a lump-sum payment of $16,949, before tax. Note that the amount you’re eligible for is affected by your share of ownership of the property (ie – joint ownership with a non-ADF member will see the amount halved).
To be eligible to receive an HPAS payment, you must meet the following criteria:
The best part? You are eligible to receive this lump sum payment BEFORE you need to pay your deposit as you are considered to have purchased a home when you have signed either the contract to purchase or the agreement for it to be built.
While we are strong advocates for a ‘buy and hold’ property strategy, there are some circumstances when it is untenable to continue ownership of a property. HPSEA is an allowance for the reimbursement of reasonable costs to an ADF member when they sell a home at the time they are being posted to a new location; or if they sell in their previous posting location and buy again in the new location.
An example of this would be if you own a home in Sydney, then get posted to Brisbane and want to buy a new home there. You would be eligible to receive HPSEA to reimburse the sale and purchase costs, including real estate agent’s commissions, stamp duty, solicitor’s fees, mortgage costs etc. This is to compensate for the relatively high transactional costs of selling and buying. For this allowance, the amounts that you will receive through HPSEA vary, depending on your costs. All of this is covered in extensive detail within PACMAN.
The Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme (DHOAS) is a subsidy and home loan scheme available for current and former Australian Defence Force members. It is designed to assist ADF members and their families in repaying their defence home loan and achieve homeownership easier.
The Australian Government has announced a $46.2 million expansion of the Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme, aiming to improve access to home ownership for eligible defence personnel earlier in their careers.
The changes will allow veterans who served on or after 1 July 2008 to access the scheme at any stage after they have left the service.
From 1 January 2023, the eligibility criteria for the scheme for each subsidy tier will be expanded by:
Basically, a DHOAS loan subsidises your home loan, for an amount and period of time based on how long you serve. As of January 2023 it contributes a monthly amount between $477 and $954 to your loan. Not bad for just being an eligible ADF member, right? The amount you are entitled to receive varies, based on a three tier system – as seen in the table below.
The Australian Average House Price (AHP) is used to determine the subsidised loan limits under the three tiers. Each tier’s subsidised loan limit represents a percentage of the AHP, as shown here:
● Tier 1, is 40% of the AHP
● Tier 2, is 60% of the AHP
● Tier 3, is 80% of the AHP – maximum benefit!
| Subsidy Tier | Minimum Permanent Service | Minimum Reserve Service | Subsidised Loan Amount | Maximum Monthly Subsidy* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 years | 4 years | $402,159 | Up to $514 |
2 | 4 years | 8 years | $603,238 | Up to $771 |
3 | 8 years | 12 years | $804,318 | Up to $1,029 |
As of 1 November 2022, the AHP is $1,005,397. This figure is used to determine the 2022-23 subsidy tier values.*Estimated monthly subsidy values based on the April 2023 median interest rate. These monthly subsidy values fluctuate based on changes in the median interest rate.
You can see that you have to wait two years of service before you gain access to DHOAS. We recommend that you wait until you have done at least four to six years of service before you pull the trigger. This is for either of two reasons:
1- So you can have a higher monthly subsidy (about an extra $260 per month stays in your pocket) or;
2- So you can use four years of your service in a lump sum – very useful to top up your cash buffer after you have purchased your home.
The real kicker is the main condition of receipt – you and/or your family must occupy the home for at least 12 months and you will need to be occupying the home and holding a valid subsidy certificate before your subsidy payments will commence.
Under certain circumstances, you may be eligible to have your subsidy paid out as a lump sum. If you have accrued sufficient entitlement you can convert up to four years of your service into a lump sum payment.
This equates to $514 per month x 4 years [48 months] = $24,672. This can be especially useful if you’re looking to fast track your housing investment, but will only be applicable in some situations.
The DHOAS Scheme was designed to incentivise members to stay in the ADF – the longer you serve, the more entitlement you accrue and the longer you can receive assistance.
If you have both served more than 4 years, you can get the subsidy for a loan up to $1,206,476 (2 x $603,238) and receive a monthly allowance of $1,542 (2 x $771). Now that is a massive chunk off your monthly repayments!
We are thrilled to introduce the first of of three recent hires, Kat, who has joined our fast growing Build Support team. She’s bringing four years of experience in the administrative field that has instilled in her a passion for delivering exceptional support and fostering seamless communication. Yup, we can attest to that!
Back in March ‘21, Amy was introduced to us by another client. (The constant referrals within our community are humbling to be involved in!). She was a Learning Development Coordinator, not in the ADF. She was coachable and definitely needed some assistance in the whole process.
She had been diligent with her money habits and mindset, with a good amount of savings under her belt. However, we needed to put a plan in place for her to keep saving so the acquisition of her first property was done in a sensible way. This happens all the time. The fact she had financial milestones to reach helped her immensely in getting there!
We first met R&K in Aug 2020. They wanted to secure their financial future using property. Posted to Wagga (R was an RI at Kapooka and K was a civvie Dental Assistant), after a series of coaching sessions, we implemented a plan and strategy for them to acquire IP#1. That $457K property was built without any issues in 2021. Happy days, a good start for R&K.
M&V are a double-defence couple posted to RAAF AMB in Brisbane. After watching our educational videos, they came to us in March 2021. They needed guidance on all things money management and proven strategies to follow.
In their own words, 𝘈𝘹𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨/𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘋𝘍 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. Yep, that sums up what we specialise in!
This inspirational young lady came to us way back in June 2021 at age 20! 20! Already possessing great money habits and a desire for success, she had an openness to learn how to invest the right way. Ella was remarkably clear about what she wanted to achieve and knew that she needed to seek guidance from professionals to ‘force multiply’ her well-established position. With the deposit and cost already saved and a yearning to move with a sense of purpose towards her goals, it was time to put a plan and a strategy in place to set her on an even greater path to success.
This is a success story that everyone should be inspired by!
After being referred to us through a mate who had built a house with 🙌 Axon, we first met Phil in March 2022. He is a single RAAF Pilot posted to Newcastle, loving life with his mates and regularly flying high-end platforms.
Phil had been brought up in a family that values education around money and wealth. (Yep, that’s also something that you should all be inspired by: “intergenerational wealth”). To his credit, Phil applied himself and came to us in a 💪 strong position (cash and shares). But, having this is never enough to be successful.
We are a Veteran-owned and operated company, working to empower the ADF Community to secure their financial future through education, coaching and mentoring in the property sector.
We acknowledge and pay respects to the people of the Yugambeh language region of the Gold Coast and all their descendants both past and present. We also acknowledge the many Aboriginal people from other regions as well as Torres Strait and South Sea Islander people who now live in the local area and have made an important contribution to the community.
