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Buying your first home, investing in property or just keen to review your mortgage?
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Find out which Squirrel loan is right for you
Get a Squirrel Loan
Earn better returns with term investments secured over property
Earn regular returns of 4.0%p.a. while helping providing a better home loan option for other Kiwis.
Invest now
All Home Loans investments are secured
Our unique Home Loan term investment is secured against residential property so you can sit back and relax while your money works for you.
Having been in the business of mortgages for over a decade, we choose our credit-worthy existing homeowners carefully to help lower risk to our investors. There are plenty of other ways we manage investor risk too. In fact, since we launched our investing platform we've not missed a single investor payment.
Current market interest rate for Home Loans
How much could you be earning?
Work out how much interest you could be getting from your term investments.
*This calculator is intended as a guide for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to provide financial advice. It assumes that the amount entered is invested for the entire period selected and returns are based on the investment rates currently available on our P2P platform. The calculation results do not take into account taxes that may be applicable to you (including withholding tax). Please note that interest rates offered on our platform are subject to change and our minimum investment amount is currently $500. To talk to one of our team at Squirrel, please call 0800 21 22 33 or you can find more information about P2P investing here. We recommend seeking financial advice about your situation and goals before investing into any financial product.
Good returns
Rather than letting your savings sit around earning a pittance, earn a better rate with regular repayments of principal and interest or interest. Minimum investment amount is $500.
Our Reserve Fund lowers risk for investors
Our Reserve Fund helps protect against missed borrower repayments and defaults, provided there are sufficient funds available. Find out more about our Reserve Fund here.
The power to get your money out early
The Secondary Market provides Investors the opportunity to sell an investment and get their money out early. Find out more here.
From Kiwis to other Kiwis
Investing in our peer-to-peer Home Loans means your money is staying on NZ shores and you're helping out other Kiwis. Win win.
No higher than 80% loan-to-value ratio lending
We don't lend more than 80% of the value of the property, and all lending is secured over first mortgages over residential property.
Manage your investment anywhere, any time
We have a fast, easy, online registration process and a mobile app to manage your ongoing investments.
Our handy PDF booklet has all the information you need in one place.
Get the guide sent to your inbox
108,664
Funds currently available to the Reserve Fund for Home Loans
1Our number one priority is looking after your invested money. One of the main ways we do this is through our Reserve Fund. Find out about how it works here.
2The Reserve Fund for Home Loans includes cash on hand and an overdraft facility of $100,000 provided by Squirrel Money Limited supported by a bank guarantee
The risk and return
It's important to remember that no investment comes without some risk. The interest you earn is also indicative of the potential risk for the type of investment you choose.
We do our best to limit risk in several ways. All Squirrel peer-to-peer home loans are secured by first registered mortgages over residential property primarily in metro locations, with a maximum LVR of 80%. This image shows each of our investment types relative to each other. To read up on all potential risks to do with investing, check out this page.
John
Wellington, New Zealand
So far so good, good interest rates and plenty of information about what you are investing in. A great product!J
Jiri Cerveny
Auckland, New Zealand
I've been with Harmoney for almost 3 years and your platform is far more superior, will move to you little by littleJC
PAK
Auckland, New Zealand
Very happy with my Squirrel investment. Platform works well and so easy to monitor using the app. Returns are good and much better than at the bank. Have been an investor since Jan 2016. Highly recommended.P
Rudi Prinsloo
Auckland, New Zealand
I'm very excited about using the Squirrel platform to diversify my investment portfolio. Looking forward to many great returns.RP
Geoffrey Smith
Christchurch, New Zealand
Nice website (clean, easy to use). Reserve fund is a reassuring plus. As a newcomer, still feeling my way with bidding strategy. Overall, very good impression so far.GS
JAMES ELLIS
Naseby, New Zealand
I am a new investor, and while I cannot make any long term comments about Squirrel, so far my experience has been totally positive.JE
Susan Hermansen
Whangarei, New Zealand
Quick and easy to navigate your site. Easy to select what investment return to choose and you dont have to put all your funds into one loan.SH
Herman
Auckland, New Zealand
Initially I was a bit skeptical about the whole concept, so I invested a small amount to get a better understanding. Once I found out how to work the platform, I got more confident and have since invested a few more times.H
Where is your investment going?
As mortgage brokers, we regularly come across clients who are creditworthy, have excellent affordability, but don't fit within 'the bank box'.
That's why we decided to create a unique home loan products to support them. Your investment is helping us provide a better solution for other Kiwis, saving everyone a headache. Win win.
Read a case study to find out more about where your money is going.
Standard Home Loan
This is for property owners who either occupy the property or use it as an investment. These are high credit quality niches in the market and generally have low loan-to-value ratios (LVR).
Borrowers are primarily within metro-locations (urban areas with a population over 150,000). There is a maximum exposure per borrower of $2,000,000.
- Maximum Loan size - $2,000,000.
- Owner occupied or investment properties
- Maximum Loan term of 7 years
- Maximum LVR (loan-to-value ratio) of 80%
- All loans secured by first registered mortgages over residential property
Lifestyle Home Loan
This is a transition mortgage for those near or transitioning into retirement that recognises the borrower's property as an asset and as part of their wealth management/retirement plan. The product isn't designed as a long-term product beyond transition.
Borrowers are primarily within metro-locations (urban areas with a population over 150,000). There is a maximum exposure per borrower of $2,000,000.
- Maximum Loan size of $2,000,000
- Owner-Occupied properties only
- Maximum Loan term of 7 years
- Maximum LVR (loan-to-value ratio) of 60%
- All loans secured by first registered mortgages over residential property
FAQs
We've answered a few common questions below. If you're after more information, we recommend downloading our Investor Booklet or giving our friendly team a call on 0800 21 22 33.
Who can invest with Squirrel P2P?
We only allow NZ tax residents over 18 years of age to invest through our platform.
How much interest can I expect to receive on a Home Loan investment?
The Prevailing Interest Rate for Home Loan investments is shown above and this rate is variable (floating). The interest rate you are presented with when creating your investment order on the Platform is the gross interest rate you will receive on your investment (unless a lower interest rate is accepted by the Investor), after any fees are deducted but before Resident Withholding Tax (RWT) is deducted.
What is the Prevailing Interest Rate?
The Prevailing Interest Rate is the current Investor interest rate applicable to an Investment Class and Investment Term. It is set by us from time to time after consideration of the Housing Variable Rate (if applicable) or current market interest rates and Platform fees, levies and margins. The Prevailing Interest Rate will be displayed when an Investor places an Investment Order. Investors with open Investment Orders or live investments will receive at least five Business Days’ notice before a change to the Prevailing Interest Rate is applied.
What is the minimum investment?
The minimum amount you can specify when creating an Investment Order is $500. The maximum you can invest through our platform is $2 million. So, you’re free to invest any amount within that range.
How safe is my money?
Investor funds are held in an Independent Trust and do not form part of Squirrel’s business or assets. We rigorously check our Borrowers to ensure as best we can that they’re creditworthy. We have a reserve fund to help cover expected credit losses and insurance to protect against acts of cyber-crime and fraud. In a nutshell, although we work hard to look after your money, we cannot guarantee your investment will be entirely protected in event of one or more unforeseen events.
John
Wellington, New Zealand
So far so good, good interest rates and plenty of information about what you are investing in. A great product!J
Jiri Cerveny
Auckland, New Zealand
I've been with Harmoney for almost 3 years and your platform is far more superior, will move to you little by littleJC
PAK
Auckland, New Zealand
Very happy with my Squirrel investment. Platform works well and so easy to monitor using the app. Returns are good and much better than at the bank. Have been an investor since Jan 2016. Highly recommended.P
Rudi Prinsloo
Auckland, New Zealand
I'm very excited about using the Squirrel platform to diversify my investment portfolio. Looking forward to many great returns.RP
Geoffrey Smith
Christchurch, New Zealand
Nice website (clean, easy to use). Reserve fund is a reassuring plus. As a newcomer, still feeling my way with bidding strategy. Overall, very good impression so far.GS
JAMES ELLIS
Naseby, New Zealand
I am a new investor, and while I cannot make any long term comments about Squirrel, so far my experience has been totally positive.JE
Susan Hermansen
Whangarei, New Zealand
Quick and easy to navigate your site. Easy to select what investment return to choose and you dont have to put all your funds into one loan.SH
Herman
Auckland, New Zealand
Initially I was a bit skeptical about the whole concept, so I invested a small amount to get a better understanding. Once I found out how to work the platform, I got more confident and have since invested a few more times.H
