What three lenders' loan terms say
The table covers general terms for consumer home loans. It is not a comparison of which lender is better, and it does not cover every product.
| Lender and document | What it asks of you |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth Bank, Consumer Mortgage Lending Products Terms and Conditions (effective 15 June 2026) | Tell it as soon as possible if your name, address or contact details change, including email address or mobile number. You can change address or electronic contact details in NetBank or by phone. If the purpose of your loan changes, you must tell it (clause 3.8) |
| NAB, Home Loan General Terms | Tell it as soon as possible if contact details change, including email, postal address and phone numbers (clause 4.3). If it reasonably needs more information about your finances or the security property, you agree to provide it as quickly as possible (clause 4.7) |
| ANZ, Consumer Lending Terms and Conditions (version 39, 28 January 2026) | It relies on the contact information in its records. It may require updated information about your financial circumstances, or a new valuation of the security property, if it reasonably considers that necessary to show there has been no material adverse change in your financial situation |
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Why your address on file matters from abroad
Lenders send notices to the contact details they hold. Commonwealth Bank's terms say paper statements and notices go by prepaid post to your last notified residential address. NAB's terms say it may post a notice to the address on its file. ANZ's terms say mail is deemed received on the seventh day after posting, and electronic notices on the day after they are sent.
If you move without updating those details, deemed-receipt rules can start the clock on a notice you have not seen. NAB's pages give its home loan phone hours in AEST or AEDT and ANZ's give its phone hours in Sydney or Melbourne time, so convert them for your time zone.
If you rent the home out
Commonwealth Bank's terms give two examples of a purpose change you must report: you no longer reside in the home you bought with the loan, or you now reside in a property you originally bought as an investment. They add that a request to update the loan purpose must be made separately from an address change.
The terms do not say what the lender will do after a purpose change. Lenders publish separate rates for owner-occupier and investor loans, so the difference can matter. NAB's Base Variable Rate page, as read on 7 October 2026 (the page shows no "correct as at" date), lists these principal and interest rates:
| Loan type | Rate (p.a.) |
|---|---|
| Owner occupier | 6.44% |
| Residential investor | 6.96% |
That is a gap of 0.52 percentage points. As a simplified illustration on a $500,000 balance, ignoring repayments and any rate changes, a year's interest at 6.44% is $500,000 x 0.0644 = $32,200, and at 6.96% it is $500,000 x 0.0696 = $34,800. The difference is $2,600 a year. Whether your own lender would reprice your loan, and from when, is a question for the lender, since the terms read do not say.
Tax is a separate question
Tax residency is decided by the ATO's four statutory tests (the resides, domicile, 183-day and Commonwealth superannuation tests). The ATO's page does not treat leaving Australia as automatically making you a foreign resident, and it notes that going overseas temporarily without setting up a permanent home in another country can still leave you a resident. Your tax status is therefore not set by where you live or by what your lender records.
The consequences for a rented home, and for a later sale, are in our guides to tax on rental income for non-resident landlords, the main residence exemption for expats and the Australian tax residency tests. The overview is at tax on Australian property from overseas.
Accounts and repayments
NAB's page for people moving banking to another country says that anyone leaving Australia for a country other than New Zealand can learn how to close their NAB accounts. It does not mention home loans. If repayments come from an everyday account, or the loan has an offset or redraw feature, ask your lender what happens to the loan if that account is closed or becomes harder to use from abroad.
Questions to put to the lender before you go:
- How do I update my address, email and phone, and will you confirm in writing?
- Do I need to change the loan purpose if the home is rented out or left empty, and from when?
- How will repayments be collected while I am overseas?
- What happens to any offset account, redraw balance or linked account?
- Would a later refinance or top-up be affected by my overseas address? See refinancing an Australian home loan while overseas.
Keep reading
- Refinancing an Australian home loan while overseas
- Tax on rental income for non-resident landlords: how the ATO treats rent from Australia
- Main residence exemption for expats and foreign residents: what the ATO rules say
- Australian tax residency tests explained: are you a resident or a foreign resident?
- Which lenders lend to Australian expats and non-residents?
- Buying an investment property in Australia from overseas: citizens abroad and foreign buyers
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to tell my lender I am moving overseas?
The general terms read for this guide ask you to report changes of address and contact details, and Commonwealth Bank's also asks you to report a change in loan purpose. None names moving overseas as a trigger. Your Offer Letter may say more, so read it and ask your lender what it expects.
Can I keep my Australian mortgage if I move abroad?
The general terms read do not contain a clause that deals with the borrower moving overseas, but they are only part of the contract and lenders set their own policies. Ask your lender to confirm in writing that the loan can continue and on what conditions.
If I rent out my home, do I have to switch to an investment loan?
Commonwealth Bank's terms say you must tell it if the purpose of the loan changes, including when you no longer live in the home. The other terms read do not address it. Whether a lender reclassifies the loan, and when, is for the lender to say.
Will my interest rate go up if I move overseas?
The terms read do not discuss rate effects of moving. A change of loan purpose can matter, because lenders publish separate rates for investor loans: NAB's page lists 6.44 per cent for owner occupiers and 6.96 per cent for investors on one variable loan. Rates change often and the page carries no date, so check your own lender's page.
Does moving overseas make me a foreign resident for tax?
Not automatically. The ATO uses four statutory tests, and its page says that going overseas temporarily without setting up a permanent home elsewhere can still leave you a resident. A registered tax agent can say where you stand. The ATO page was last updated on 3 June 2026.
Sources
- Consumer Mortgage Lending Products Terms and Conditions, Commonwealth Bank
- Home Loan General Terms, NAB
- Consumer Lending Terms and Conditions, ANZ
- Base variable rate home loan, NAB
- Move your banking to another country, NAB
- Australian resident for tax purposes, Australian Taxation Office
Checked 7 October 2026.
Expat Finance is an independent guide. It is not a lender, mortgage broker or credit provider, it does not hold an Australian credit licence, and it does not give credit, legal, tax or migration advice. It is not affiliated with any bank, the ATO or the Foreign Investment Review Board. General information only, not legal, tax, migration or financial advice.