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Home Loans for Doctors & Medical Professionals

A home loan for a doctor isn't the same as a home loan for everyone else

Medical income can be complex — private billing, Medicare, hospital contracts, locum work, trust distributions, early career registrar income. Most lenders don't assess it well. We do. And we've been doing it since 2004.

General information only · Written and reviewed by Phil Riches, Director of Medical & Professional Lending · Last reviewed June 2026

Confident Australian doctor in a bright modern hospital corridor
For Doctors & Specialists

Read the way doctors are actually paid

Base salary, on-call and overtime, private billings, fee-split and contractor arrangements — recognised properly, these support far more than a standard payslip read. We match your registration tier and income mix to the lender whose policy gives you the strongest position, often with LMI waived to 90–95% LVR.

Check Your Borrowing Position →

Many lenders treat medical professionals as lower-risk borrowers and apply policies the general public can't access — most visibly, waiving Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI) at higher LVRs for eligible borrowers. That can save a substantial sum. But the waiver is only the headline. The bigger lever is matching your income type, your specialty and your career stage to the lender whose policy actually recognises them. Two doctors with the same income can get very different answers depending on which lender they sit in front of.

In plain English: structure and lender choice usually matter more than the rate. That's the part most borrowers never see — and the part we do for you. The detail below is general information; your own position depends on your circumstances and the lender's assessment.

The LMI waiver is real. But there's more to it than that.

Yes — certain lenders will lend to medical professionals up to 90% LVR without Lenders Mortgage Insurance. That can save you tens of thousands. But the deeper advantage is structural. Getting the right lender for your income type, your career stage, and your future plans changes what you can do — not just now, but in five years when you want to add an investment property or buy your practice rooms.

LMI Waiver to 90% LVR

Selected lenders may waive Lenders Mortgage Insurance for eligible medical professionals. We know which ones, what their criteria are, and how to prepare a strong application — approval remains subject to the lender's assessment.

Complex Income Assessment

Private billing, Medicare, hospital contracts, locum income, registrar pay, trust or company distributions — each lender assesses these differently. We match you to the right one for your situation.

Investment Property Strategy

Many medical professionals build significant property portfolios alongside their practice. We structure borrowing to maximise serviceability across multiple properties without limiting future capacity.

Long-Term Relationship

Your finance needs evolve as your career progresses. First home, investment property, practice buy-in, commercial rooms. We're the brokers clients come back to — and refer their colleagues to.

What an LMI waiver actually is — and what it isn't

Lenders Mortgage Insurance normally applies when you borrow more than 80% of a property's value. It protects the lender, not you — and on a larger loan it can run into tens of thousands of dollars. For eligible medical professionals, certain lenders waive it entirely.

  • It's a waiver, not a discount or a refund. The premium isn't reduced or paid back later — it simply isn't charged. Your loan amount stays the same; the LMI line item disappears.
  • It can apply at higher LVRs. Depending on the lender and your profession, eligible borrowers may access a waiver up to 90% — and in some cases higher — without paying LMI.
  • The criteria vary by lender. One lender may waive LMI for a profession another won't recognise at all. Loan-size and total-exposure limits also differ between lenders.
  • Eligibility isn't automatic. It depends on your profession, your registration, how your income is evidenced, and the policy of the lender you apply to. Knowing where you fit is the work.

If your income doesn't fit a standard box, that's our focus

  • PAYG hospital or medical centre employment
  • Private billing and Medicare income
  • Mixed public and private income
  • Locum and contractor arrangements
  • Registrar and early-career income
  • Practice owner distributions
  • Trust and company income structures
  • Specialist with multiple income streams
  • Returning from overseas — expat income
  • Income changing due to career stage transition

Medical professional lending by specialty

Lender policies vary. What you do within medicine matters — it affects which lenders apply professional policy advantages, and at what level. Registered doctors, specialists, dentists and GPs generally sit at the top tier; many lenders also recognise a wider group, though the level differs. We know where each profession sits across our panel of 50+ lenders.

  • General Practitioners (GPs)
  • Medical specialists — surgeons, physicians, anaesthetists, radiologists and more
  • Dentists and orthodontists
  • Pharmacists and optometrists
  • Many allied health professionals — varies by lender
  • Registered nurses and midwives — selected lenders
  • Veterinarians
  • Registrars and early-career doctors

How your AHPRA registration affects eligibility

For most medical lending concessions, the type of registration you hold matters as much as the profession itself. As a general guide across lenders:

  • Generally accepted: Generalist (general) registration
  • Generally accepted: Specialist registration
  • Usually not accepted: Provisional, Limited or Non-practising registration
  • Sometimes an exception: a temporary absence such as parental leave, depending on the lender

This is general information — every lender writes its own policy, and the right answer depends on your registration, your income and the lender you apply to. Checking that fit before you apply is the part we handle.

Where doctors lose ground before they even apply

Most of the value is in avoiding the quiet mistakes — the ones that cost options rather than getting an outright decline. The common ones:

  • Going to your own bank first. The bank that holds your everyday accounts may not have the strongest medical policy. Anchoring there before checking the market can limit what's possible.
  • Assuming every lender treats your profession the same. One lender's waiver tier excludes a profession another welcomes. The same file can get very different answers.
  • Not evidencing registration and income cleanly. A waiver usually hinges on proof of profession and registration, and on income presented the way the lender reads it.
  • Borrowing to today's number, not the plan. Structuring a first purchase without an eye on the investment property or rooms purchase to come can cap your future borrowing capacity.

The documents that make a medical application move quickly

Exact requirements vary by lender and by how you're paid, but most medical home-loan applications come together around the same core evidence:

  • Proof of profession and current AHPRA registration
  • If you're employed (PAYG): recent payslips and, often, an employment summary or contract
  • If you're self-employed or contracting: ABN details, recent business and personal tax returns, and ATO notices of assessment
  • Identification and basic asset/liability details
  • For mixed income — payslips plus billing or practice financials to show the full picture
  • For trust or company structures — the relevant financials and structure detail

Many lenders also like to see a track record in the profession. We tell you exactly what your chosen lender needs up front, so the file goes in clean.

Specialist brokers. Not a comparison website.

Medical Finance Australia is the specialist medical lending division of Model Mortgages, led by Phil Riches and Virginia Graham Riches. Phil is a former senior lender at Westpac with 20+ years in residential, investment and commercial lending. Virginia founded Model Mortgages in 2004 with a background in banking, treasury and financial planning.

Most of our medical clients come through referrals from accountants, colleagues and existing clients. If someone pointed you here, you're in the right place.

Check Your Borrowing Position About the Team

Home loans by medical profession

Lender policy and income assessment differ by profession. Start with the page closest to your situation:

Doctor home loans, answered plainly

Which medical professionals can access an LMI waiver?

Registered doctors, specialists, dentists and GPs generally sit at the top tier. Many lenders also extend waivers to pharmacists, optometrists, vets and a range of allied health professionals — and some to registered nurses and midwives. The list and the level vary by lender, and what you do within medicine affects where you sit.

Do I need to be registered with AHPRA?

For most medical LMI-waiver policies, yes — generally with Generalist or Specialist registration. Provisional, Limited and Non-practising registration are usually not accepted, though some lenders make exceptions, for example a temporary absence such as parental leave. We check the specific policy before you apply.

How much can the LMI waiver save me?

It depends on the loan size and the LVR, but on a higher-LVR loan the saving can run into tens of thousands of dollars, because the premium isn't charged at all. We can show you the likely position for your scenario before you commit to anything.

Can I still get the waiver if I buy with a non-medical partner?

Usually yes — most lenders require only that at least one borrower is an eligible medical professional. The specifics vary by lender.

I'm a registrar, early in my career. Can I access this?

Often yes, though options vary by lender. Registrar and early-career income is read differently to established specialist income, but several lenders apply professional policy advantages to early-career doctors. We assess your specific situation first.

My income is complicated — private billing, locum work, trust distributions. Can you still help?

That's exactly where our focus is. Each lender assesses complex medical income differently. Knowing which lender suits your structure — and how to present it — is the job.

Is a doctor home loan a different product, or a normal loan with concessions?

Usually the latter — a standard home loan with professional concessions applied because of your profession, such as the LMI waiver and, with some lenders, pricing benefits. The work is matching you to the lender whose concessions and income policy fit your situation.

Ready to Talk?

Ready to check your borrowing position?

A proper conversation about your income structure and what's available to you — general guidance first, specific to you once we understand your situation.