Rising costs, piling bills, and daily expenses can take a toll on your money. Ultimately, you may not have enough to make ends meet and need to turn to other avenues to supplement your income. But you don’t have to deal with this problem alone. Living in New Zealand has many privileges, including quick access to loans.
Personal loans offer you a fast, short-term solution to your cash troubles. Whether you need to consolidate your debt, pay for your house renovations or have emergency expenses, these loans have your back. However, before applying for any loan, you must know what you agree to. The money you borrow depends on various factors, including the interest rate, repayment terms, and the amount you need.
By doing your research, you can secure the best loan for yourself; here’s how to do this:
Difference Between Unsecured and Secured Loans
A personal loan is any money you can borrow from different financial institutes for various purposes. You can access these loans through banks, credit unions, and online lenders. But, once borrowed, you must repay the money over a prescribed period with interest. So, when making your choice, learn between unsecured and secured loans, and apply accordingly:
Unsecured Loans
To access unsecured loans, you need to have a satisfactory credit score. For every lender, this score varies, but in New Zealand, between 300 and 700 puts you in the green. The credit score informs your lender how healthy your financial history is and whether you are good at making timely repayments.
A good credit score lands you on a higher value, almost amounting to $35,000, while the lowest can give you $1,000. Additionally, if you look for Unsecured personal loans New Zealand the search results provide opportunities to access online channels to help secure this funding.
However, unsecured personal loans tend to attract high-interest rates since the lender has nothing but your credit score to fall back on. But if you cannot pay back on time, lenders in New Zealand can sue you, pushing you into further debt.
Secured Loans
Secured loans are money you borrow in exchange for collateral, such as your house or a car. When you cannot repay your loans on time, your collateral gets seized as damage. Since this is a risk-averse option for the lender, the interest rates are also generally low. The only catch in applying for your secured loan is that the value of your collateral has to be higher than the principal amount for you to qualify. The amount you qualify for depends on the value of your collateral, but for most banks in New Zealand, you can get as little as $1,000 and as high as $100,000.
Personal Loans Interest Rates in New Zealand
Depending on the bank policies and how risky your financial profile is, the interest rate for personal loans can be as low as 6% and as high as 25%. Unsecured loans may be issued to you at a high-interest rate to keep you on your toes and motivate you to make timely payments.
On the other hand, secured loans have a guarantee for the lender. They may give you a low-interest personal loan for your valuable collateral. In general, your income, financial history, credit history, and relationship with other lenders impact the interest rate. Acquiring a loan is no challenge if you are responsible for your finances.
Requirements for A Personal Loan
To secure any personal loan, you have to meet specific prerequisites. These are as follows:
- Need local identification such as a New Zealand passport, driving license, or an access card.
- Be over 18 years of age.
- Proof of address.
- Bank statements that show your activity for the past six to twelve months. This depends on the lender. Some may only need your account activity for the past few months.
- Have a stable source of income.
- Be a resident of New Zealand or have a working permit that allows you to do business in New Zealand.
Common Principles for Applying for a Personal Loan
Before you apply for a personal loan, you need to get screened as a potential client. Giving away money is a risk for any lender, so they need some assurance that you will return with the cash on time. Details are as follows:
- Personal Loan Repayments. You have to repay your loan in monthly instalments. There is a fixed period during which all your borrowed money has to be returned. Depending on the size of your loan, you may get a timeline of two to five years to wrap up your repayments. Bigger loans give you more time, but smaller loans go for a year or less. As a client, a shorter repayment time is much better than a longer one. Interest accumulates over time, so you may pay more than you applied for.
- Importance of Your Income. Lenders are interested to know about your salary. Your statements need to reflect that you’re financially in a position to make payments on time. As a result of your income, lenders will set an interest rate. This amount will be your monthly instalment for the loan repayment.
- Grace Period for the Loan. Lenders offer you some flexibility after you get a loan. If you are taking money to invest or start a business, you may get a grace period of one to three months. This is because investments take time to yield an outcome, and you may need additional time before you start seeing returns.
- Processing Your Application. Once you submit your application with a minimal fee, the lender will look at your bank statements and the loan’s purpose, ensure that you have the required documents, and evaluate the amount you need. Online applications get back to you within minutes, but in-person submission needs at least a week. Once the personal loan is approved, the money is deposited into your account, and you can start using it immediately.
Final Thoughts
There may come a time when you need a financial boost to accomplish various tasks. Whether you’ve pending payments or want to fix your house, you need extra money. This is where personal loans come into play. Once you acquire this loan, there are specific rules you need to follow. It will help if you start by picking the most suitable option. If you are going for a secured loan, you must sign away collateral, while an unsecured loan is all about your credit history.
Additionally, you must meet specific requirements, including a valid identification and a healthy credit history, before you qualify. When it comes to processing your loan request, lenders have specific guidelines. Your financial background and income help them determine the interest rate for your borrowed money. Furthermore, they set a deadline for your repayment with small leeway to ensure you can pay off your debt. Finally, once you jump through these hoops and emerge victorious, you will get your loan in no time.