Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee - what you need to know

The Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme has replaced the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee, but can still help Aussies in regional and rural areas.

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The Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme has replaced the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee, but can still help Aussies in regional and rural areas.

The Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme aims to help Australians purchase a home with a deposit of as little as 5%, including Aussies in rural and regional areas. This scheme replaced the previous Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee (RHFBG) as of October 2025.

What does the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme offer homebuyers?

The Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme offers eligible homebuyers the opportunity to purchase a home with a deposit as low as 5%. Usually homebuyers with a deposit of less than 20% face additional hurdles to getting into the property market, including in many cases needing to pay for expensive lenders mortgage insurance (LMI).

Who is eligible for the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme?

Per the Housing Australia website, in order to apply for the program, you must satisfy the following eligibility criteria:

Australian citizen or permanent resident, at least 18 years old
saved a minimum deposit of 5%
a first home buyer or have not owned a property or land in Australia in the last 10 years
buying a home in Australia priced at or below the location’s price cap
planning to live in the home as an owner-occupier (no investment properties)
applying for an owner-occupier home loan with Principal and Interest repayments from a Participating Lender, up to 30 years (plus up to three years to build a new home)
applying on your own or jointly with one other person (partner, friend, or family member).

Seperate eligibility may apply for single parents and legal guardians applying for the scheme.

The Housing Australia website has more information on property price caps in each state and territory, including regional centres and rural areas.

What other support is available for home-buyers?

Home-buyers who are not eligible for the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme may still be eligible for other support schemes, including:

First Home Super Saver (FHSS) Scheme: This program allows you to make voluntary contributions into your super to put towards a home deposit.
First Home Owners Grants and concessions: These offerings differ between states and territories, supporting first home buyers in a variety of ways from grants to stamp duty savings.

This article was reviewed by our Senior Finance Writer Mark Bristow before it was updated, as part of our fact-checking process.

Alasdair Duncan

Deputy Finance Editor

Alasdair Duncan is Canstar's Deputy Finance Editor, specialising in home loans, property and lifestyle topics. He has written more than 500 articles for Canstar and his work is widely referenced by other publishers and media outlets, including Yahoo Finance, The New Daily, The Motley Fool and Sky News. He has featured as a guest author for property website homely.com.au.

In his more than 15 years working in the media, Alasdair has written for a broad range of publications. Before joining Canstar, he was a News Editor at Pedestrian.TV, part of Australia’s leading youth media group. His work has also appeared on ABC News, Junkee, Rolling Stone, Kotaku, the Sydney Star Observer and The Brag. He has a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Journalism from the University of Queensland.

When he is not writing about finance for Canstar, Alasdair can probably be found at the beach with his two dogs or listening to podcasts about pop music. You can follow Alasdair on LinkedIn.