5609.0 - Housing Finance for Owner Occupation, Australia, Sep 2003  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 10/11/2003   
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Alterations and additions

Alterations and additions cover all structural and non-structural changes which are integral to the functional and structural design of a dwelling. Examples are garages, carports, pergolas, reroofing, recladding, etc. Alterations and additions do not include swimming pools, ongoing repairs, or maintenance and home improvements which do not involve building work.

Average loan

The Average Loan series is calculated as follows:

    Total value of lending commitments per month

    Total number of dwellings financed per month

The Average Loan series does not necessarily represent the average loan size per dwelling. For instance, the average separately reflects first and second mortgages, committed in separate months, which apply to the same dwelling.

Commitment

A lending commitment is a firm offer of housing finance. It either has been, or is normally expected to be, accepted. Included are commitments to provide housing finance to employees and commitments accepted and cancelled in the same month.

Commitments not advanced

Commitments not advanced at the end of the month are calculated as follows:

Balance of unadvanced commitments at the end of the previous month
    + Total new housing commitments (including refinancing)
    + Alterations and additions

    = Total commitments

    – Cancellations of commitments
    – Commitments advanced during the month

    = Commitments not advanced at the end of the month

Commitment value

The commitment value for a contract of sale is the dwelling’s sale value less any deposit.

Construction of dwellings

Construction of dwellings represents commitments made to individuals to finance, by way of progress payments, the construction of owner occupied dwellings.

Dwelling

A dwelling is a single self-contained place of residence such as a detached or semi-detached house, a terrace house, a flat, home unit, town house, etc. Dwelling units Dwelling units refer to the number of single self-contained residences for which commitments have been made, either on the security of first mortgage or on contract of sale.

Established dwelling

An established dwelling is one which has been completed for 12 months or more prior to the lodgement of a loan application, or which has been previously occupied.

First home buyers

First home buyers are persons entering the home ownership market for the first time.

Fixed rate loan

Fixed rate loans have a set interest rate which cannot be varied, either upward or downward, for a minimum period of two years. Capped loans are not categorised as fixed rate loans because their interest rate can vary within a two year period.

New dwelling

A new dwelling is one that has been completed within 12 months of the lodgement of a loan application, and the borrower will be the first occupant.

Refinancing

Refinancing represents a commitment to refinance an existing loan where the refinancing lender is not the lender who made the original loan. Excluded are an institution’s refinancing of its own loans and the refinancing of loans to fund a change of residence. The latter is treated as a new lending commitment.

Secured housing finance

This is all secured commitments to individuals for the construction or purchase of dwellings for owner occupation, regardless of type of security. Commitments for dwellings that will be occupied by persons other than the owner(s) are excluded.

Self-contained

The dwelling includes bathing and cooking facilities.

Wholesale lenders

A wholesale lender provides funds to borrowers through a retail intermediary which may then also be responsible for the ongoing relationship with the borrower. The Wholesale Lenders n.e.c. (not elsewhere classified) series almost exclusively comprises securitisation vehicles (typically special purpose trusts) established to issue mortgage backed securities. It excludes funds provided where a bank or permanent building society, acting as a wholesale provider of funds, remains the lender on the contract. Those commitments are published as bank or permanent building society commitments.