21/05/2026
The Federal Budget changes around negative gearing are already starting to flow through to lender policy, and this could have a significant impact on borrowing capacity moving forward.
We’re now seeing major lenders begin aligning their credit policies with the proposed Federal Budget changes.
Both Westpac Group and Macquarie Bank (MBL) have already circulated broker communications around how these changes may impact servicing assessments, investment lending policy, and customer guidance moving forward.
Macquarie is also currently working on updates to its servicing calculator to align with the proposed legislation.
Which means other lenders likely won’t be far behind.
What borrowers need to understand is this is no longer just a “tax” conversation.
This is now a lending and borrowing capacity conversation.
We’re already seeing increased focus around:
• Which investment properties qualify for negative gearing add-backs
• “New build” definitions
• Existing vs new investment debt
• Trust/company structures
• How rental losses are treated in servicing calculators
• Future servicing reassessment risk
Credit policy, lender calculators, and servicing models are already under review.
And like anything in lending, the devil is in the details.
The legislation is still evolving, lender interpretation will vary, and there will absolutely be opportunities where understanding policy properly allows borrowers and brokers to structure things more effectively or push back where appropriate.
The next 12–24 months could look very different for investors who understand these changes early versus those who don’t.
Strategic finance advice now matters more than ever around:
𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲.
𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆.
𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
Chasing rate is yesterday’s conversation.