
Debt Recycling: A Strategy for Property Investors
Debt recycling is a financial strategy that has gained attention among Australian property investors looking to accelerate wealth creation while managing their tax position.
Start or build your portfolio of investment properties with an investment home loan that puts your future first.
Begin building a portfolio with your first investment property loan.
Scale your property portfolio with lending strategies optimised for long-term growth.
Fund your post-work future with a residential or commercial acquisition.
Like all investment strategies, building wealth through property is about time:
Enter the market as soon as possible, let equity compound, leverage it to buy again, and repeat the process.
If you’re thinking about taking that first step, you need a lending partner who understands your long-term financial objectives.
And you need a mortgage that helps make them happen.
With a panel of more than 50+ lenders and features like offset and redraw accounts available, our investment lending team will work with you to find the right loan for your goals.
Schedule a free consultation to find out how we can help.

More than 36,000 Australian businesses and individuals choose us as their mortgage brokers.
ALIC is genuinely different – an award-winning broker with no hidden financial incentives and no questionable referral partners.
With more than 50 bank and non-bank partners on our lending panel, finding the right mortgage is simple.
Your loan should be one that supports your ideal future – whether that’s a multi-property portfolio or a stress-free retirement.
Access our network of leading property professionals to get the advice you need – no referral commissions involved.
With the right broking partner, securing your next investment property shouldn’t be complex.
Our approach to lending works backwards from your ideal financial future:
Where would you like to be in 10, 20 or 30 years, and, in your current circumstances, what sort of loan structure would best support that outcome?
That strategic mindset – combined with our ethical lending philosophy and network of property experts – is how we’ve helped more than 36,000 Aussies take the next step on their property journeys.
Find out how our lending strategists can do the same for you.

Our clients share their experiences of transformation and growth.
With articles written by award-winning brokers like Mark Davis, ALIC’s Insights Hub is one of the best places to learn about building wealth through property.

Debt recycling is a financial strategy that has gained attention among Australian property investors looking to accelerate wealth creation while managing their tax position.

For many Australians entering the property market, lenders mortgage insurance is one of the least understood costs associated with a home loan.

The start of a new financial year is one of the most valuable moments for property investors in Australia. It brings a natural reset point, a chance to review what is working and identify the property investment strategies for 2026 that can help you build long-term wealth.
If you decide to turn your home into an investment property – for example, because you upgraded to a new home or moved overseas – you’ll need to refinance and take out an investment loan instead.
While refinancing does have attached costs, like discharge fees, you might even save money by securing a lower interest rate (especially if you’ve accrued equity since you first took out your home loan).
A negatively geared asset has expenses (including interest expenses) that are greater than the income it produces. Negative gearing allows you to deduct the loss produced by the asset from other forms of income, which can help reduce your taxable income.
For example, if you had a mortgage on an investment property that costs you $600 a week to manage and maintain, but only produces $500 a week in income, that property would be negatively geared by $5,200 per year. You could then deduct $5,200 from your taxable income.
Negative gearing is generally most effective if you anticipate capital gains on your property when you sell. High appreciation (an increase in the asset’s value) can make the losses incurred through negative gearing worth it.
Generally, you’ll need a deposit equal to 20% of a property’s value (80% LVR) to take out an investment loan. While you can take out investment loans with a smaller deposit, your lender may require that you pay lender’s mortgage insurance (LMI).
Lender’s mortgage insurance (LMI) is insurance taken out by your lender to cover them if you are unable to pay back your loan. LMI is insurance for the lender, not you, but you’ll normally be charged a one-off LMI fee if your lender requires that LMI be taken out.
LMI is generally only required if there is a higher-than-usual risk of default. Typically, loans with an LVR above 80% will require LMI.
Loan-to-value ratio is the value of your property loan compared to the value of the property itself (as assessed by your lender). It’s expressed as a percentage and is often used during loan applications. The lower your LVR, the more likely you are to get financing.
For example, if your lender assessed an investment property as being worth $800,000, and you had a deposit of $150,000, you’d need to borrow $650,000 to purchase the property.
In that case, you could calculate your LVR by dividing $650,000 by $800,000, then multiplying the result (0.8125) by 100, which gives you 81.25%.
Generally, an LVR below 80% is desirable. If your LVR is over 80%, lenders view your risk as being higher; you may be required to take out LMI and face higher interest rates and less favourable loan conditions.
Yes, you can leverage usable equity in your owner-occupied home to buy an investment property. If you’ve been rentvesting, for example, you might use accrued equity in your investment property to help purchase a house; alternatively, you might already own both a home and an investment property, and be interested in using equity to keep building your portfolio.
Rentvesting (‘renting’ + ‘investing’) is an investment strategy that involves purchasing an investment property while continuing to live in a rental property.
Rentvesting can be a useful strategy because it allows you to do things like:
You can find out more about rentvesting with our guide for first-time investors.
While refinancing an existing home loan to buy an investment property is a valid investment strategy, it isn’t always the right decision. Before refinancing, you should seek personalised financial advice from your mortgage broker. If your mortgage broker advises that refinancing is a suitable approach for you, you’ll generally need more than 20% equity in your current home to use it as a deposit on a new property (unless you want to pay LMI). Other considerations include:
Always talk to your broker or another qualified financial professional before making any decisions.