Still on a 90-Day Trial.
Approved for a Home Loan Anyway.

The problem.

Grace, a 29-year-old management accountant, had just accepted a $92,000 role at a larger Christchurch firm — a genuine step up from her previous $74,000 position in the same field. Six weeks into the new job, still technically inside her 90-day trial period, she found a townhouse she wanted to buy.

Her bank's response was blunt: come back after 6 months in the role, once she was confirmed permanent past probation. This is a common, conservative default policy at several NZ banks, treating any employee still on a trial or probation period as higher risk regardless of their employment history.

Grace had 7 years of continuous accounting employment before this role, with no gaps, and her new salary was well-documented in her signed employment agreement. She felt the blanket 6-month rule didn't reflect her actual risk profile.

How we solved it.

The result.

Grace's pre-approval was issued in 20 days, without waiting for her probation period to end. She purchased a 2-bedroom townhouse in Riccarton for $525,000, settling just after her 90-day trial period naturally concluded — with no lending impact either way.

Her loan was fixed 2 years at 5.75%, and she's already received formal confirmation of permanency from her new employer, removing any residual uncertainty.

Grace's feedback: "I was ready to put my search on hold for six months over a technicality. Finch found a lender who actually looked at my career history instead of just the word 'probation' on my file."

Useful NZ sources: the Reserve Bank of New Zealand for current lending policy, and Kāinga Ora for first-home support schemes.