Home financing options in Pakistan have increased drastically in the last decade. Gone are the days when one had to wait all their life saving up to be able to build their dream abode. It has now become easier than ever to finance a house with the help of suitable mortgage rates and lower rates of interest along with longer debt maturity. In addition to this, Commercial banks have started providing housing finance schemes as well. Given following is a step-by-step procedure on how one can utilize house financing programs in Pakistan:
- Begin by selecting an institution that provides house financing. Most commercial banks, private or state owned, provide house financing schemes for example the ‘Apna Ghar Scheme’ started by the Bank of Punjab. House Building Finance Corporation (HBFC) was established solely by the government for the provision of home financing. Any institution may be selected as per the individual’s preference.
- Once the institution has been selected, apply to the house financing scheme by filling out the application form provided by the institution. The documents which are usually required include: Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC), income certificate, tax returns of FBR, current residential status and a personal guarantee. A minimal fee and waiting period are typically required for the processing and verification of your request.
- The third step involves choosing the option which best suits your priorities. These may include either the institution providing you a home fitting to your requirements, or you choosing a house in your preferred locality and requesting the institution to pay on your behalf. Land may be chosen, and a house may be built on it later, with all construction costs borne by the institution.
- In the final step, the institution determines your financial capacity using a team of qualified experts. The assessment usually looks at your financial resources, sources of income and credit history. Once selected as a suitable candidate, the loans are granted as per the decided terms and conditions. Some amount may be charged by the institution as down payment, but the rest is paid in installments as per the schedule provided by the institution. In the event of default in payments, the bank reserves the right to cease the asset and pursue legal action against you. Once the full payment has been done, the ownership of the property is transferred to your name.
Such a scheme is the Roshan Apna Ghar scheme launched by the State Bank of Pakistan for both Non-Resident Pakistanis (NRPs) and Pakistani Origin Card Holders (POC), allowing them to digitally or remotely purchase a property and build or renovate a house through their own investment or by using financing provided by a bank. Both conventional and Shariah compliant variants are offered under the scheme with favorable rates for a time span of three to twenty-five years. The digitalized process has made it much easier for overseas Pakistanis to obtain housing finance to invest in Pakistan’s real estate. NRPs who are looking to invest or obtain financing in pre-approved projects are given faster processing of their request. Investments by RDAs are repatriable and subject to full taxation.
TYPES OF FINANCING OPTIONS
Standard Financing:
Lien Based Financing: NRPs can obtain house finance against lien on their RDA deposit balances or Naya Pakistan Certificates. Banks can finance up to 99% of the property value for the purchase or construction of houses; for renovation of house, financing is capped up to 40% of the property value. No mortgage of property, equitable or registered, is required against lien-based financing facility. The borrower will sign all the financing documents digitally, physical presence is not mandatory for execution of sale or transfer deed. The borrower will, however, have to nominate a person in Pakistan to complete the sale or purchase formalities and get the property transferred in the borrower’s name.
Non-Lien Based Financing: This is normal housing finance offered against mortgage of the property to be purchased; banks fund up to 85% of the property value for purchase or construction of house, and up to 30% of the property value for renovation of house. While the borrower will digitally sign the financing documents, their physical presence or power of attorney in Pakistan will, however, be required for obtaining the property’s title documents from Registrar etc. and creating the bank’s charge on the property. The banks will provide the soft copy of the Special Power of Attorney (SPA) to the borrowers for downloading, printing, signing, getting it attested by the Pakistan Mission in the borrower’s country of residence and sending the same to the attorney. Pakistan Missions and Foreign office in Pakistan has made special arrangements for attesting the SPAs of RDA holders on priority.
Government Mark-up Subsidiary Scheme (GMSS):
The house financing facility under GMSS is also available for RDA holders under Roshan Apna Ghar product as per the already defined criteria under respective tiers. In this case the financing rates applicable to Government mark-up subsidy scheme would apply.
UBL Roshan Apna Ghar is a unique financing facility that enables Overseas Pakistanis to invest in residential real estate in Pakistan. The facility is open to all UBL Roshan Digital Account holders in both Conventional and Islamic modes of financing. UBL is offering special discounts and offers for the clients of D.I. Khan New City . Special rates of markup with prioritized processing and disbursement will be offered to DIKNC customers for banking products including House building financing, loans for solar energy equipment, car financing and other special products.