A mortgage discharge authority gives your outgoing lender permission to prepare the release of its mortgage over your property. Submit the correct request, arrange the required payout and confirm that the release is registered on the title.
Paying off a home loan does not automatically remove the mortgage. If you are selling or refinancing, start the discharge request early enough for the lender to prepare for settlement.
What the Discharge Authority Authorises
The discharge authority records your instructions about the loan accounts and security the lender must release. The lender then prepares the legal discharge document for lodgement with the relevant land registry.
Keep the financial and title outcomes separate. Loan payout clears the amount owing, while registered discharge removes the outgoing lender’s mortgage from the title. Landgate explains why a paid-off loan can still appear on a title.
- A full release removes the lender’s mortgage over the specified property after its release requirements are met.
- A partial security release removes an identified property from security while other security or debt remains. The lender must assess and approve that request.
- For a refinance, the outgoing lender releases its mortgage as the replacement lender funds the payout and registers its own mortgage.
- A guarantor release needs instructions that address the guarantee and any property securing it. Paying out a loan does not automatically release every guarantee.
Use the request that matches the transaction. A full payout request and a security variation can require different information, even where a lender combines them in one form.
Request and Complete the Correct Form
Get the mortgage discharge form or online request from the outgoing lender’s official website. Use its instructions for your loan type and the release you need.
- Identify the accounts and properties involved. Match borrower and property-owner names to the lender’s records, and include title references where requested.
- State the reason for release and the proposed settlement or payout date. Identify any property that must remain as security.
- Nominate the person who can discuss the discharge with the lender. Include your conveyancer or solicitor’s details where they handle the transaction.
- Arrange every required signature. Check the instructions for borrowers, property owners and guarantors, including company signatories or anyone signing under a legal authority.
- Submit the complete request through the lender’s nominated channel. Keep a copy of the signed authority and the submission receipt.
Signature rules differ. ANZ’s discharge instructions require physical signatures, including guarantors where applicable. NAB’s business discharge checklist accepts electronic or wet signatures. Follow the instructions attached to your own request.
These official lender routes distinguish starting an online request from downloading an authority to sign and return.
| Lender | Official request route | Signatures and submission |
|---|---|---|
| Westpac | Start the online Property and Security Request form through Westpac’s discharge instructions. | All parties and guarantors must sign. Return the form by scan to securityvariations@mortgage.westpac.com.au, through a branch or by post to the address on those instructions. Online preparation does not remove the signing step. |
| AMP | For full release, use AMP’s discharge contact route to request the authority. The separate partial discharge and substitution PDF covers releasing or replacing part of the security. | All borrowers and guarantors sign. The partial-release PDF requires wet signatures. Email it to loanservicingenquiries@amp.com.au only with existing e-communication access, from the registered email address; otherwise use the form’s postal instructions. Use the return instructions supplied with a full-discharge authority. |
| Keystart | Download the Keystart Mortgage Discharge Request PDF. | Both joint borrowers must complete and sign, using the same form or separate forms. Email the completed authority to discharges@keystart.com.au. Keep the signed copy and submission receipt. |
For the other bank-specific routes, use the NAB discharge form guide or the CBA discharge form guide. They cover those lenders’ request channels and consent steps.
Coordinate Payout and Settlement
Confirm that the lender has received a complete authority before treating the discharge as ready for settlement. An acknowledgement establishes receipt, not completion of the release.
- Record the lender’s reference number and ask whether anything is missing. Give the reference to your settlement representative.
- Arrange the payout figure for the intended settlement date. Identify which fees it includes and how any shortfall will be funded.
- Have the settlement representative coordinate the outgoing lender and, for a refinance, the incoming lender. Confirm who arranges electronic lodgement.
- After settlement, obtain evidence of the payout and the discharge’s lodgement or registration status.
The lender and authorised settlement representatives handle their parts of the electronic transaction. A broker can coordinate the file, but being the broker does not itself authorise legal lodgement. Landgate’s discharge guidance sets out electronic lodgement requirements and paper exceptions for Western Australia. The property’s jurisdiction determines the applicable registry process.
A payout quote can expire as interest accrues or payments change the balance. Westpac distinguishes an indicative payout figure from a final settlement figure. If settlement moves, obtain the revised amount through the lender’s process.
Allow for Fees and Processing Time
Budget separately for the lender’s discharge fee, registry charges and professional costs. A fixed-rate loan can also incur break costs before its fixed term ends.
| Cost | What to establish before settlement |
|---|---|
| Lender discharge or release fee | The fee for your loan and the release requested, including whether it is in the payout figure. |
| Government registration charge | The relevant state or territory charge for registering the discharge. |
| Conveyancer or solicitor’s costs | The professional’s quote and any separate electronic settlement charges. |
| Fixed-rate break cost | The lender’s calculation for the proposed payout, separate from an ordinary discharge fee. |
For example, NAB’s mortgage and business security authority says a $350 discharge fee may apply, with government fees additional. That is a lender example, not a fee for every Australian discharge.
Allow the outgoing lender’s processing time before booking a dependent settlement. NAB requests at least 10 business days on that authority. Missing information or a security reassessment can extend the process.
Use the symptom to decide what to chase.
| Symptom | Check | Action |
|---|---|---|
| The request has no acknowledgement | Submission receipt and destination | Ask the discharge team to locate the request and issue its reference. |
| The lender returns the authority | Missing pages, signatures or mismatched details | Correct the identified problem and confirm when the complete request is accepted. |
| The payout no longer matches | Quote validity and changes to the loan | Request a revised payout figure and arrange any shortfall. |
| Settlement is approaching but release is unready | Outstanding lender requirements and processing time | Have the settlement representative resolve the missing items and discuss any necessary change to settlement. |
Confirm the Mortgage is Removed
Check both the loan and the registered title before closing the discharge file. Obtain the lender’s payout or closure confirmation for accounts intended to close, then confirm registration through your settlement representative or a current title search.
On a refinance, the outgoing lender’s mortgage must be removed and the incoming lender’s mortgage will normally appear. A mortgage-free title is the expected result only when no mortgage remains over that property.
For a partial release, check the specific property’s title against the approved release. Other properties can remain mortgaged and the continuing loan can remain open.
Hypothetical example: a homeowner pays out the loan and receives a closure letter, but the title search still shows the outgoing lender. The closure letter proves the account outcome. Ask the lender or settlement representative for the discharge lodgement reference and registration status before treating the title work as complete.
When a discharge stalls, send the lender the signed authority, submission receipt and reference number. Include the property and account details, proposed settlement date and any missing-item correspondence. If the title still shows the mortgage after reported completion, add the title search and payout confirmation, then request a written explanation of the remaining registration step.
