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Rent-to-Own Deposit Calculator: Your Built Deposit

How much deposit will your rent-to-own contributions build by the time you buy, and how big a mortgage will you need? This calculator projects both, year by year, against the purchase price set by your agreement.

Published 25 September 2026Updated 27 September 2026

Switching to a mortgage

Deposit built by then
$118,118 (10%)
Based on $325 a week contributions, every week for 7 years — deducted from the final purchase price at settlement.
$34k$67k$101k$135k$135k$63kYr 1Yr 2Yr 3Yr 4Yr 5Yr 6Yr 7Yr 8
Your built deposit 5% of the estimated purchase price
How this is calculated
  • Purchase price (est., year 7)$1,188,667
  • Loan required after your deposit$1,070,549

Your weekly deposit contribution is fixed at 50% of Year-1 rent for the entire lease — it never increases. Contributions are deducted from the purchase price at settlement. You can buy in Years 4–8. The estimated purchase price is the higher of the pre-agreed minimum purchase price (initial value compounding at 8% down to 4% p.a. — the rate steps down the longer you stay) or an independent certified valuation at the time you buy, projected here with the housing price growth assumption above. The default 6.8% p.a. is the 25-year national average annual growth for houses — 1993 to 2018, per CoreLogic's 25 Years of Housing Trends report (units averaged 5.9% p.a.). The 5% line is the deposit a typical low-deposit loan would need on the same home. Projected values are illustrative benchmarks only, not a prediction of prices.

General information only — not financial, credit, legal, or tax advice. Results are estimates based on the stated assumptions and your inputs; obtain independent professional advice before making any decision.

How much deposit does rent-to-own build?

The contribution is 50% of the first year's market rent, fixed for the term. On a home renting at $650 a week that is $325 a week, or about $118,000 over seven years, credited to your purchase when you switch to a mortgage. Set any home value and year to see yours, then browse rent-to-own homes.

The solid line is the deposit your rent-to-buy contributions have built; the dashed line is 5% of the estimated purchase price, the minimum most lenders look for. Once yours clears it, the question becomes the loan size. A larger deposit means a smaller loan, a lower loan-to-value ratio and, at 20% or more, no lenders mortgage insurance.

What does the deposit calculator assume?

  • The contribution is 50% of the first year's market rent, fixed for the term, credited in full to the purchase.
  • Market rent is 4.5% of the home value a year for a house.
  • The purchase price is the higher of the contracted minimum resale price or an independent valuation; the calculator uses the contracted minimum for the chosen year.
  • The 5% benchmark is a common lender minimum; each lender sets its own.

Frequently asked questions

The purchase window runs from year four to year eight, and most homebuyers are expected to buy in years 6, 7 or 8. You switch to a mortgage when you're ready inside that window.