A new initiative launching in early 2026 aims to help first-home buyers build a deposit by using a “lay-by” style co-investment model that taps into property capital growth rather than traditional savings alone.
The launch comes as housing affordability sits near record lows, with median-income buyers able to afford only a small share of homes and facing years of saving to reach a standard deposit. Separate research shows servicing a new mortgage can absorb close to half of median household income, with many buyers needing close to a decade or more to save a 20% deposit.
Developed by Saviour Financial Services, the Home Layby Plan allows small groups of four or five participants to contribute modest weekly amounts – starting from about $50 a week for some buyers – into a unit trust that purchases an investment property geared to a 50%–60% loan-to-value ratio.
Each participant becomes a unitholder and can later sell their unit, ideally after the property value has risen, and use the proceeds as a deposit for their own home. Parents can also invest on behalf of their children, offering an alternative to going guarantor on a loan.
Saviour Financial Services founder Vincent Scali (pictured) said the structure was created to address the gap between what first-home buyers can save and what they can realistically borrow.
“Home Layby Plan is a stepping stone for people who can’t service a full mortgage,” Scali said.
“Instead of trying to save tens of thousands of dollars on their own, they can contribute a manageable weekly amount, benefit from capital growth and then sell their share when they’re ready to buy their first home.
“Alternatively, parents can help their children into homeownership by investing on their behalf, without having to risk the family home by going guarantor on a loan. The parents can potentially get a tax deduction through negative gearing, while the children get the capital growth.”
Because the property is owned by a trust rather than the individual participants, their eligibility for first-home owner grants remains intact. When participants choose to exit, their unit is first offered to existing unitholders; if not taken up, Saviour Financial Services will buy it back within 60 days at market value.
Scali said the model may particularly suit buyers who qualify for the federal government’s 5% Deposit Scheme on paper but fall short on serviceability at current prices.
“The reality is that many people can save a 5% deposit but can’t service a 95% mortgage at today's prices, ” he said. “Also, when you have such a large mortgage, it’s hard to find the disposable income needed to pay for council rates, water, sewerage, home insurance, home maintenance and emergency levies. Home Layby Plan lets them build equity without taking on the immediate costs of ownership.”
Participants must be working, but there is no minimum income threshold. Applicants are subject to credit checks and assessments of income and living costs, with each participant’s share in the trust serving as security for their contributions. Saviour Financial Services will also group applicants, so individuals do not need to find their own co-investors.
As part of the program, participants join the Saviour Club, which deducts fixed expenses such as utilities, insurance, and vehicle registration directly from their income, alongside their Home Layby contributions, to help reduce overspending and build consistent saving habits.
The properties purchased under the scheme will be freestanding homes or townhouses in identified growth locations, with the initiative to launch first in South Australia before rolling out to other states.
“A house is built one brick at a time, and saving a deposit can follow the same principle,” Scali said. “Home Layby Plan gives people a practical way to share in capital growth earlier and move towards ownership at a pace they can afford.”
Home Layby Plan is scheduled for release in early 2026.
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