Lender review
Is RedZed a good home loan lender?
The short answer
A non-bank that has lent to self-employed Australians since 2006. Three residential tiers read credit history, from clean files to past defaults and recent bankruptcy, and tax debt funding is part of the range. Limits: variable rates only, no construction, and citizens and permanent residents only.
How we rate them
Our assessment, not a lender claim. Five dimensions, scored out of five, revisited when the policy-checked date changes. Rate & fees is judged on the pricing borrowers actually transact at; RedZed publishes its pricing to brokers only, so this score rests on structure rather than a quoted rate.
- Rate & fees competitiveness
- 3/5
- Approval speed
- 3/5
- Technology & apps
- 3/5
- Product & policy flexibility
- 4/5
- Service
- 3/5
RedZed prices by loan tier and security, and its residential loans are variable only. We compare it against other lenders on your actual file.
Can I get a loan with them?
Probably, if you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident aged 18 or over, self-employed or employed, buying or refinancing property that is already built, or accessing equity for an approved purpose. Credit history decides which of the three residential tiers a file lands in.
The Connective Complete range is RedZed's lending under another name: the target market determinations for the two are one document, with the product names paired (Prime is SE Prime, Near Prime is Reward, Specialist is Recharge). Prime suits a satisfactory credit history. Near Prime allows some historical impairment. Specialist accepts larger and more recent defaults, tax defaults not yet paid at settlement, a couple of missed mortgage repayments and a discharge from bankruptcy within the last two years. Outside the range: construction and major structural renovations, fixed rates, lines of credit, unsecured lending, and temporary visa holders. Self-managed super lending is limited, and new residential purchases ended for contracts signed on or after 10 August 2026.
What they will and will not do
Facts from the lender's published target market determinations and web pages, not judgements.
- Yes: Offset sub-account (not a transaction account)
- Yes: Redraw
- Yes: Interest only
- Yes: Equity release for an approved purpose
- Yes: Tax debt funding
- Yes: Past credit events considered (Specialist tier)
- Yes: SMSF lending (refinance of existing loans)
- No: Fixed rates
- No: Construction loans
- No: Line of credit
- No: Unsecured or personal loans
- No: Temporary visa holders
Pros and cons
What works
- Built for the self-employed: RedZed has done one thing since 2006, lending to business owners, and the whole range is designed around that borrower.
- Three residential tiers step down through credit history, so one lender can take a clean file and a bruised one.
- Tax debt funding is part of the offering, which is common for people who run their own businesses.
- The Specialist tier accepts a discharge from bankruptcy within the last two years and tax defaults that are paid at settlement.
- Self-managed super refinancing and commercial lending sit in the same range.
What doesn't
- Variable rates only on the residential range, with no fixed option.
- No construction lending, and no loans for major structural renovations.
- Australian citizens and permanent residents only, so temporary visa holders are out.
- The offset is a sub-account, not a transaction account: no debit card, ATM or EFTPOS.
- Self-managed super lending is refinance-only for new business, with no cash out, redraw or offset.
What are they distinctly good at?
Self-employed borrowers whose paperwork is messy rather than risky. The range is designed around business owners, and its tiers are built to read credit history rather than reject it.
Tax debt funding, equity release and refinancing are all in scope. We place RedZed through Connective Complete. The two share a credit provider, a licence and one set of target market determinations, so on policy the Complete range is RedZed's lending with Connective branding. Product names differ between the labels, and we say which label a quote comes from.
Who it suits, and who it does not
A good fit if
- Self-employed borrowers refinancing established property.
- Borrowers with past defaults or a recent discharge from bankruptcy who want a lender built for it.
- Business owners funding a tax debt through their home loan.
- Self-managed super funds refinancing an existing loan.
Look elsewhere if
- Anyone building, or wanting a fixed rate.
- Temporary visa holders.
- Borrowers who want a debit card or transaction account on their offset.
- Buyers of residential property through super on a contract signed on or after 10 August 2026.
Our verdict
A specialist worth knowing for the self-employed borrower whose file is messier than the bank allows. RedZed has lent to business owners since 2006, its three tiers read credit history, and tax debt is part of the offering. The limits are firm: variable rates only, no construction, citizens and permanent residents only, and a plain offset sub-account. We place RedZed through Connective Complete, the range it funds and assesses, and compare it with the other specialists we can arrange on your actual file.
We can arrange loans with this lender, through Connective Complete, the Connective-branded range RedZed funds and assesses.
Comparable lenders
Lenders that solve a similar problem, and that we can arrange.
Lender assessments are our own opinion, based on the policy and product terms in force on the policy-checked date shown above, and are not a recommendation.
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