DotVA is our top mortgage broker virtual assistant choice for a brokerage seeking hourly administrative support with ongoing management. Its published rates and replacement terms make the commitment easier to budget before hiring.
Top Virtual Assistant Providers for Brokers
1. DotVA
DotVA places assistants in Australian mortgage workflows, including document collection and application data entry. Its mortgage service also covers lender follow-up and settlement coordination. This is the best fit here for a broker who wants a managed assistant for a recurring administrative queue.
The DotVA pricing page lists administration support at $12 to $17 per hour, excluding GST. Specialist support costs $18 to $25 per hour, excluding GST. Placements start at 10 hours a week. Recruiting and ongoing performance management sit within the rate.
DotVA publishes a 30-day replacement guarantee and a $500 deposit credited to the first invoice. Cancellation is immediate during the first 14 days, with payment for hours worked. After that, its pricing page requires 30 days’ notice. The brokerage still supervises file decisions and approves application work before lodgement.
2. Tarino
Tarino ranks second for a brokerage that wants to hire and pay its own Philippines-based assistant. Its mortgage recruitment covers loan processors and client services officers. Document chasing and application preparation are among the roles’ tasks.
Tarino lists a one-off recruitment fee of $5,000 excluding GST, with six months of replacement cover. It charges no ongoing monthly markup. The worker’s pay is separate, so this fee cannot be compared directly with a managed hourly rate.
The direct-hire model suits an owner with time to train and supervise the worker. Daily task allocation and absence cover need an owner inside the brokerage. Recruitment replacement cover does not supply someone to finish today’s follow-ups when the worker is away.
3. Mortgage Broker Assist
Mortgage Broker Assist ranks third for brokers whose processing workload fluctuates between files. Its dedicated assistant service includes CRM work and lender follow-up. A separate per-file service lets a brokerage buy processing work without committing to a standing hourly queue.
Its per-file packages list lodgement-only work at $160 plus GST per file. Lodge and Track costs $270 plus GST per file. Full processing is listed at $500 plus GST, subject to complexity.
Buy the defined processing stage when file volume is uneven. Use a dedicated assistant arrangement when the work includes recurring client follow-up between applications. Make the service agreement name the supervisor and set the correction process, absence cover and replacement arrangements for that chosen model.
Define the Work Before You Hire
Define a mortgage broking VA role through the administrative tasks you can delegate and the decisions you retain. Document requests, data entry and status updates can form a controlled work queue. Product recommendations and credit advice require the appropriate authority.
Keep lender selection and compliance sign-off with the authorised broker or responsible reviewer. A worker’s system access does not establish authority to give advice. A client asking whether to fix their rate needs escalation to the broker.
ASIC’s credit licence guidance says outsourcing leaves the licensee responsible for its obligations. It also expects suitable provider selection and ongoing monitoring. Apply the licensee’s outsourcing policy before the worker receives client information.
Compare Managed, Direct and Offshore Hiring
Managed and direct hiring describe who runs the arrangement. Offshore describes the worker’s location. Either hiring model can involve an offshore worker, so compare those choices separately.
| Arrangement | Employment and training | Absence and ongoing costs |
|---|---|---|
| Managed provider | The provider’s contract sets who employs or engages the worker. The provider manages staffing, while the broker trains the worker on its procedures. | Agree backup cover in writing. Budget for the service rate, system licences and broker review time. |
| Direct hire | The brokerage engages the worker and owns daily training and management. A recruiter finds candidates but does not automatically become their employer. | The brokerage organises leave cover. Budget for recruitment, pay, equipment and applicable employment costs. |
| Offshore location | Identify the employing entity and country. Set the working hours against Australian client and lender availability. | Account for local holidays and connection failures. Apply cross-border information controls before access starts. |
A provider’s hourly charge and a direct worker’s wage buy different support. Include paid leave, payroll obligations and any required employer-of-record fee where they apply. For a broader decision about the operating model, use the mortgage broker outsourcing guide.
Restrict each worker to the records needed for their tasks. Use named accounts with multifactor authentication and activity logs. Keep broker and lender passwords private, and remove access when the arrangement ends.
Set Up a Supervised Loan-File Hand-Off
Start the assistant on one controlled administrative task, then expand access after the broker checks the output. A document-follow-up task tests communication and file accuracy without handing over credit decisions.
- Approve the task scope with the licensee. Name the broker responsible for questions and final review.
- Train the worker with a fictional file and the brokerage’s document checklist. Provide an approved request template and escalation rules.
- Create a named account with access to the assigned file only. Keep advice, submission and bulk-export permissions restricted.
- Assign a sample task: request a missing payslip through the approved channel, record the follow-up and attach the returned document to the correct file.
- Review the result against the source. Confirm the right client and document period, then identify any missing pages or inconsistencies.
- Expand the work only after accurate completion. Record errors and remove permissions that the next task does not require.
Before assisted work progresses to lodgement, the broker checks application data against source documents and resolves discrepancies. The broker also confirms required consents and the completed compliance review. A filled checklist alone does not establish that the file is ready to submit.
Review Capacity and Quality Together
Measure whether the assistant reduces the broker’s work after corrections and supervision. A large number of completed tasks can hide repeated rework or unresolved client requests.
Use a weekly record of completed follow-ups, overdue items and handling time. Count errors that require correction and the broker’s minutes spent resolving them. Compare files of similar complexity so an unusually difficult application does not distort the result.
For example, an illustrative week has 40 completed follow-ups and four hours of broker review. If the same work previously took the broker six hours, the net saving is two hours. If corrections increase review to seven hours, the arrangement adds an hour of work.
Keep the scope steady while quality improves. Expand the assistant’s queue when follow-ups finish on time and correction work falls. If the same error recurs, change the procedure or training before assigning more files.
Client Data and an Offshore Virtual Assistant
Before an offshore virtual assistant receives client-file access, assess the overseas information flow with your licensee and agree the permitted work. Include provider supervisors and anyone covering leave in that assessment.
For businesses covered by the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), overseas contractor access is generally a disclosure. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) explains limited cases where retained effective control makes the arrangement a use. A use can still leave the business responsible for mishandling.
Under APP 8.1, take reasonable steps before disclosure to ensure the overseas recipient handles the information consistently with the APPs, other than APP 1. Section 16C can make your business accountable for the recipient’s privacy breaches. Document any exception your licensee relies on before access begins.
- Map the recipients. Record the provider’s legal entity, working countries and any subcontractors who can see client information. Include remote access through your existing software.
- Use an enforceable contract requiring the recipient to comply with the APPs other than APP 1. Define the permitted tasks and information. Cover onward disclosure and require equivalent obligations for approved subcontractors. Include privacy complaints, breach reporting and incident response, plus return or deletion of the provider’s copies when the work ends.
- Restrict practical access. Give each approved worker a named account for assigned files. Limit downloads and exports, require multifactor authentication and retain access logs. Agree secure working-device requirements before sharing documents.
- Check that the arrangement works. Review access logs and a sample completed task against the approved scope. Remove access promptly when a worker leaves or changes roles, including any temporary replacement.
OAIC’s cross-border disclosure guidance explains the reasonable-steps assessment and contractual safeguards. Its security guidance covers access restrictions and monitoring. Keep the approval record with the provider agreement. Reassess it when the provider changes its workers, countries or subcontractors.
Use the APP 8 overseas disclosure guide for the wider rules and exceptions. Start live-file work only when the responsible reviewer has approved the information flow and the worker’s permissions match the assigned task.
