After you have applied for a First Home Grant

If you applied for pre-approval

If you applied for pre-approval, we will email you to let you know if you were successful.

Pre-approvals are valid for 6 months – if you have not bought a home in that time you may need to reapply.

What to do when you buy a house

If you have a pre-approval, when you buy a property you will need to complete and return the cover sheet attached to your pre-approval letter. You'll also need to send us:

• the sale and purchase agreement, and
• evidence that you have 5% of the deposit.

Apply for a full approval

If you applied for full approval

If your application is successful, the grant will be paid into your lawyer's trust account on the morning of settlement.

The grant cannot be used as part of the deposit when you buy an existing home or a piece of land. If you are buying a home off plans, we may be able to pay the grant to your lawyer before settlement, to hold as a security for the developer.

If your application is not successful

If you do not meet the eligibility criteria, we will email you to let you know. You may be able to reapply later if your circumstances change and you meet the criteria.

If your circumstances change

If something changes after you have applied for the First Home Grant, contact our team. You will need your customer reference number.

• 0508 935 288
• firsthome.enquiries@kaingaora.govt.nz.

Changes that could impact your grant eligibility include:

• the house sale falls through
• you are no longer able to live in the house for at least 6 months after the settlement date (you may have to pay back the grant with interest)
• changes to the date of construction of your new home.