A mortgage broker in Perth compares home loans from many lenders on your behalf, arranges pre-approval, and manages the application to settlement. Central Lending Solutions compares more than 30 lenders from our Osborne Park office, has settled $1.2 billion in Perth home loans since 2015, and you deal with the same named broker from your first chat to keys-in-hand. Most clients pay no fee because the lender pays us.
We have arranged home loans across Perth from Osborne Park since 2015, and the directors have worked in lending since around 2005. That history shows up in the small things, like knowing which lenders move quickly on Stirling family homes, which suit first home buyers in Joondalup, and how character overlays affect valuations in Mt Lawley and Fremantle.
Perth is not one market. A coastal Scarborough purchase, a Subiaco investment and a Cottesloe upgrade each need a different lender and a different structure. We match the loan to the suburb and the situation, then manage the lender so you do not have to chase anyone.
Most of all, you get one named broker. Dave Phelan and Harj Dhillon lead the home loan team, both directors, both fully accredited MFAA members, with more than $1.2 billion settled between the firm. You will know who is handling your loan, and you can call them.
The basics
What is a home loan broker?
A home loan broker is an accredited intermediary who compares loans from many lenders, recommends the one that fits your situation, and manages the application to settlement. Instead of accepting whatever your own bank offers, you get a short list drawn from more than 30 lenders, with the reasoning laid out plainly.
Who does a home loan broker suit?
Brokers suit almost every Perth borrower, but especially anyone short on time, anyone unsure which lender to trust, and anyone whose situation is not perfectly standard. First home buyers, upgraders, self-employed borrowers and investors all benefit from having someone compare the whole market and handle the paperwork.
What does the broker handle for you?
We assess your borrowing position, compare lenders, arrange pre-approval, prepare and lodge the full application, chase the lender for updates, and coordinate settlement. You make the decisions. We do the legwork and keep you posted at every step.
Run the numbers
How much could you borrow in Perth?
Get an indicative maximum loan amount in seconds, then book a free chat to turn the estimate into a real rate.
Should you use a broker or go straight to the bank?
Your bank can only sell its own products. A broker compares the whole market. Here is the honest comparison.
Home loan broker vs going direct to one bank
What matters
CLS broker
Single bank
Lenders compared
30+ lenders, including Keystart
One lender, its own products only
Who you pay
Most clients pay no fee; lender pays the broker
No broker fee, but no comparison either
Who acts in your interest
Best Interests Duty applies (since 1 Jan 2021)
Sells its own products
Who does the legwork
Broker prepares, lodges and chases the application
You manage it yourself
Ongoing rate reviews
We review your rate over time
Rarely proactive
Straight answer
How does a Perth home loan broker get paid?
The lender pays the broker a commission when your loan settles, so most clients pay Central Lending Solutions no fee. We are bound by the Best Interests Duty, in force since 1 January 2021, which legally requires us to act in your interest, not the lender's.
Central Lending Solutions is one of the most trusted mortgage broker firms in Perth, with a 5.0-star average across 280+ Google reviews, $1.2 billion settled since 2015, and a team of eight Perth-based brokers operating out of Osborne Park. Founders Dave Phelan and Harj Dhillon have each been named to Australia's Top 100 Mortgage Brokers.
What does a mortgage broker in Perth do?
A mortgage broker in Perth compares home loans across multiple lenders, recommends the loan that fits your situation, arranges your pre-approval, and manages the application through to settlement. Central Lending Solutions compares more than 30 lenders, including the four major banks, second-tier banks, non-bank lenders, and the Western Australian government lender Keystart.
How much does a mortgage broker in Perth cost?
Most clients pay Central Lending Solutions no fee. The lender pays the broker an upfront commission when your loan settles, typically around 0.65% of the loan amount, plus a small ongoing trail. Brokers are bound by the Best Interests Duty under the National Consumer Credit Protection Act, which legally requires the broker to act in the client's interest, not the lender with the highest commission.
How many lenders does Central Lending Solutions compare?
Central Lending Solutions compares more than 30 lenders for Perth borrowers. The panel covers the four major banks (CBA, Westpac, NAB, ANZ), second-tier banks (Macquarie, ING, Bankwest, St George, Bank of Melbourne, BOQ), non-bank lenders (Pepper, Liberty, La Trobe, Resimac), specialist lenders (HSBC, AMP), and Keystart, the WA government lender.
How long does home loan pre-approval take in Perth?
Home loan pre-approval in Perth typically takes three to seven business days once your documents are submitted, depending on the lender and complexity of your situation. Central Lending Solutions prepares applications thoroughly before lodgement, which keeps timeframes tight and reduces conditional approvals being turned down at the unconditional stage.
Should I use a mortgage broker or go straight to my bank?
According to MFAA data, 74.6% of Australian home loans are now arranged through a mortgage broker. Your bank can only offer its own products. A broker compares more than 30 lenders, is legally bound by the Best Interests Duty, and handles the application paperwork and lender follow-up. For most Perth borrowers, a broker means more choice at no out-of-pocket cost.
How much can I borrow for a home loan in Perth?
How much you can borrow depends on your income, expenses, existing debts, deposit, and the lender's serviceability calculator. A general guide is six to seven times annual household income, though lender appetite varies. Use the borrowing power calculator for an indicative maximum, then book a free chat to confirm with live lender pricing.
Do I need 20% deposit to buy a home in Perth?
No. Many Perth borrowers buy with a 5% to 10% deposit. Options include the First Home Guarantee scheme (5% deposit, no LMI), the Family Home Guarantee, Keystart (no LMI under WA income caps), and a Family Pledge or guarantor loan from a parent. Each has different eligibility rules. We will run through which apply to your situation.
What is Keystart and who qualifies?
Keystart is the Western Australian government-backed home lender. It allows first home buyers and low to mid-income earners to buy with as little as 2% deposit and no Lenders Mortgage Insurance. Income caps apply ($105,000 singles, $130,000 couples, $155,000 families as of 2026). Once your income or equity allows, Keystart expects you to refinance to a mainstream lender.
Can I refinance my Perth home loan to a better rate?
Usually yes. Most Perth borrowers haven't reviewed their rate in 18 months or more and are paying a loyalty tax of 0.30% to 0.80% above market. Central Lending Solutions runs a free refinance review across 30+ lenders, calculates the break-even on switching costs, and only recommends moving if it saves you money. See the refinance savings calculator.
Do you help self-employed borrowers and FIFO workers in Perth?
Yes. Self-employed and FIFO borrowers often get declined by mainstream banks because of irregular income or short business history. We use specialist lenders (Pepper, Liberty, La Trobe) and alt-doc policies that accept BAS statements, accountant declarations, or two years of company tax returns. We have settled hundreds of these files since 2015.
What is the Best Interests Duty and does it apply to my broker?
The Best Interests Duty is a legal obligation that came into force on 1 January 2021 under the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009. It requires every mortgage broker in Australia to act in the client's best interest when recommending a credit product, and to prioritise the client over any conflict of interest such as commission. ASIC audits brokers on compliance.
Do you help with home loans across all of Perth?
Yes. Central Lending Solutions is based at 22 Hasler Road, Osborne Park, and arranges home loans across the entire Perth metro area, from Joondalup and Wanneroo in the north, to Fremantle, Cockburn and Mandurah in the south, and the western suburbs of Nedlands, Claremont, Cottesloe, Subiaco and Mt Lawley.
How do I book a free chat with a Perth mortgage broker?
Call +61 489 082 257 to speak with a broker on the same day, or use the free strategy call form. The first conversation takes 30 minutes, covers your situation and goals, and is no-obligation. You will leave it knowing roughly how much you can borrow, with which lenders, and what your next step is.
2026 Perth market
The Perth housing market right now.
Perth has spent the last 36 months as the strongest capital city market in Australia. CoreLogic's most recent reading puts the Perth median dwelling value above $760,000, up from $530,000 in mid-2023, a 43 percent compound move that has reshaped how locals borrow. The rental vacancy rate sits near 0.7 percent, and listings remain low across the metro by historical standards.
For mortgage borrowers, three things follow from that backdrop. Lender valuations are catching the market on the way up rather than the way down, which protects LVRs but tightens the upper end of borrowing capacity at the major banks. Investor activity from the eastern states has thickened, which has pushed yields down in pockets like Joondalup and Baldivis. And first home buyers are increasingly looking at new builds and house-and-land packages to access the $10,000 First Home Owner Grant and stack it with stamp duty concessions, because established stock at their price point is thin.
How a broker reads this matters. A 2022 Perth playbook (chase the cheapest variable, lock fixed on the way up) does not work in a 2026 Perth market. The right move now depends on borrower type, suburb, and lender appetite. We map the playbook to the borrower, not the calendar.
Borrower scenarios
How the broker job changes by borrower type.
Same broker, same office, four very different playbooks.
First home buyer in Perth
The job is grant stacking. A first home buyer purchasing a new $580,000 home in Joondalup or Baldivis usually stacks the $10,000 First Home Owner Grant, the WA stamp duty concession (often $9,000 to $11,000), and either a Keystart loan (2 percent deposit, no LMI, accept higher base rate) or the federal First Home Guarantee (5 percent deposit, no LMI, mainstream lender pricing). Choosing between Keystart and First Home Guarantee is the call. We model both side by side, including the refi exit cost on Keystart, so the decision is mathematical, not gut.
Refinancer in Perth
Most Perth borrowers have not reviewed their rate in 18 months or more. The lender loyalty tax in the current market sits around 0.30 percent to 0.80 percent above the sharpest mainstream variable. On a $600,000 loan that is $1,800 to $4,800 in interest a year you are not getting back. The refinance review is free. We run live pricing across the panel, calculate the break-even on switching costs (discharge fees, government fees, valuation), and only recommend a move if it nets out positive after 18 months. Most reviews finish with "stay put for now". When the maths shifts, we move.
Investor in Perth
The Perth investor playbook in 2026 leans on Macquarie at low LVR for sharp interest-only pricing, ANZ or Westpac for portfolio scaling, and Liberty or La Trobe for second-property scenarios where mainstream serviceability buffers bite. The structural call is usually offset versus redraw, and how much principal to leave on the new investment loan. The right answer changes with your tax position and exit horizon. We have settled Perth investment property loans for clients holding their first investment through to portfolios of seven or eight.
Self-employed or FIFO borrower in Perth
Mainstream banks struggle with irregular income and short business history. Specialist lenders (Pepper, Liberty, La Trobe) accept BAS statements, accountant declarations, or two years of company tax returns. FIFO borrowers can be approved on base salary alone with most majors, or have allowances and overtime annualised by select lenders. Both routes require a broker who knows which lender is currently writing each scenario competitively, because the policy moves quarterly. The decline rate at the major banks for these borrowers is high. Through the specialist panel it is the inverse.
Avoid the common ones
Five mistakes Perth borrowers make.
Each one we see weekly. Each one is avoidable with a 30-minute conversation up front.
1. Going to your bank first. The bank can only offer its own product. If their assessor declines, you start the whole thing again somewhere else, often weeks deeper into the contract clock. A broker compares the panel up front and uses the lender that says yes the first time.
2. Comparing rates without comparing comparison rates. A 5.99 percent advertised variable can have a comparison rate above 6.40 percent once package fees, account fees and offset costs are included. The comparison rate is the real cost. We compare comparison rates, not headline rates.
3. Buying first, financing second. Walking into an auction without pre-approval gets you outbid by buyers who have it. Or worse, you win, then discover the lender values the property below contract. We arrange pre-approval first, with valuation comfort on the suburbs you are looking at, so the contract day goes smoothly.
4. Locking fixed at the wrong time. Fixed rates make sense when the curve points down and you want certainty. They cost you when the cash rate falls inside the fixed term and you cannot refinance without break costs. We model the trade-off against your actual horizon before recommending a fix.
5. Setting and forgetting. Most Perth borrowers have not reviewed their loan since settlement. The lender quietly drifts off-market. The fix is a 15-minute annual review, free. We do this for every CLS client whether you used us for the original loan or not.
The process
What happens after your first call.
From the 30-minute strategy chat to keys-in-hand, the six steps every Central Lending Solutions client moves through.
Day 1 · Strategy chat (30 min). Free, no-obligation. Your dedicated broker maps your situation: income, deposit, existing debts, the suburb and price point you are targeting. You leave with an indicative borrowing capacity, a shortlist of two or three lenders that suit, and a clear next step. No paperwork required for this call.
Days 2 to 5 · Document gathering. We send a single secure upload link. You upload payslips, two months of bank statements, ID, and any existing loan statements. If you are self-employed, we add BAS and accountant declarations. Most clients finish the upload in 20 minutes.
Days 5 to 10 · Pre-approval lodged. We package the file against the lender's actual policy, not just its public criteria, and lodge for conditional approval. Pre-approval normally comes back within 3 to 7 business days. You are then ready to make an offer or bid at auction with confidence.
Offer day · Property check. When you find the home, we run an upfront valuation on character or unusual properties so the lender's number matches the contract price before you sign. We also confirm any lender policy issues specific to the building or postcode.
Days 10 to 30 · Unconditional approval and settlement. Once you have a signed contract, we move the file to full unconditional approval and coordinate the settlement date with your conveyancer, the lender and the vendor. Most Perth purchases settle 30 to 45 days after contract.
Year 1 onward · Annual rate review. Every CLS client gets a free annual rate review. We check the current rate against the live panel, calculate switching costs if anything sharper is available, and tell you honestly whether to stay or move. About one in three reviews end in a refinance.
Indicative rates · updated weekly
What Perth rates look like this week.
A representative snapshot across the panel. Your actual rate depends on LVR, loan size, ownership type and lender policy. We will run live pricing across all 30 plus lenders during your free chat.
Loan type
Variable from
3-yr fixed from
Comparison from
Owner-occupier, P&I, 80% LVR
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Owner-occupier, P&I, 90% LVR
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Investor, IO, 80% LVR
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First home buyer, P&I, 95% LVR
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Rates are indicative only and not an offer of credit. Comparison rate based on a $150,000 secured loan over 25 years. Actual rates depend on lender, your situation and loan amount. See disclosure.
Broker versus bank
Why most Perth borrowers use a broker.
According to the MFAA, 74.6% of Australian home loans are now arranged through a broker. Here is the practical reason.
Going to your bank
Central Lending Solutions
Loans compared
One lender (theirs)
30+ lenders on the panel
Who picks the loan
Their product team
Your named broker, on your file
Best Interests Duty
Does not apply
Legally required by law
Application paperwork
You do it
We do it
Chasing the lender
You do it
We do it
If lender declines
Start again elsewhere
We re-route to a lender who will say yes
What you pay
No upfront fee
No fee. Lender pays us a commission at settlement.
After settlement
You manage the loan
Annual review, rate checks, refinance flag
The lender panel
30+ lenders. Six of them write 80% of Perth home loans.
Knowing the panel by heart is what saves clients time and rate. These are the lenders we work with most often for Perth borrowers, and the situations each one suits.
CBA
Strong on owner-occupier P&I with offset. Fast valuations across Perth. Good for self-employed under their alt-doc policy.
Westpac
Family Security Guarantee for first home buyers without 20% deposit. Strong investor lending appetite.
NAB
Competitive on construction loans with progressive drawdowns. Solid offset package.
ANZ
Good for upgraders and equity release refinances. Bridging finance approved quickly.
Macquarie
Sharpest pricing on investor IO at low LVR. Fast digital application and approval.
Keystart
WA government-backed lender. Low deposit, no LMI, suits first home buyers under the income cap. Keystart calculator.
Bankwest
WA-headquartered. Local credit policy, fast turnarounds for Perth borrowers.
ING
Sharp rates for vanilla owner-occupier and investor scenarios. No branch network, broker only.
St George / Bank of Melbourne
Often the best fixed-rate option. Family Pledge guarantor product for first home buyers.
Pepper / Liberty / La Trobe
Specialist lenders. Useful when self-employed, recently discharged from bankruptcy, or with unusual income.
Heritage / Auswide / BOQ
Mutual and regional lenders. Often sharper on cashback offers and select investor scenarios.
HSBC / AMP / Citi
Useful for non-resident, expat and high-net-worth scenarios where the majors decline.
Eight dedicated suburb pages, each with median price, the lender appetite for that pocket, and the local trade-offs we have learned settling loans there since 2015.
We also settle loans across the western suburbs (Nedlands, Claremont, Dalkeith, Mosman Park, Cottesloe), the inner north (Wembley, Floreat, Leederville, North Perth, Highgate), the coastal strip (Hillarys, Sorrento, Trigg, North Beach), the river belt (Como, Applecross, Mt Pleasant, South Perth) and the growth corridors (Baldivis, Butler, Alkimos, Canning Vale, Harrisdale). One named broker, lender appetite mapped to suburb, files settled in 30 to 60 days.
280+ five-star reviews
What Perth home loan clients say.
★★★★★
Verified Google review to be added here from the 280+ five-star reviews on the Central Lending Solutions profile.
[TBC] Real review pending import★★★★★
Verified Google review to be added here from the 280+ five-star reviews on the Central Lending Solutions profile.
[TBC] Real review pending import★★★★★
Verified Google review to be added here from the 280+ five-star reviews on the Central Lending Solutions profile.
