Broker guide
Mortgage Choice Aggregator: Model and Fees 2026
Considering Mortgage Choice as a broker? Compare the current business model, lender access, commission arrangements, support and exit terms.
- Published
- Updated
Mortgage Choice’s aggregator services sit within a branded mortgage-broking franchise model owned by REA Group. Brokers join a business network with lender access and operating support. Compare the franchise agreement and payment schedule, because lender commissions and your business’s retained income are different amounts.
Identify the Broker Model
Mortgage Choice recruits franchise business owners who operate under its brand. Its franchise information describes the support available and the process for starting or buying a business.
The consumer service helps borrowers arrange finance. The franchise relationship determines how a broker operates that business, including branding and commercial terms. An internal policy-search tool is one part of the technology available to brokers, separate from the franchise and aggregation relationship.
Mortgage Choice’s Customer Charter and Credit Guide identifies Mortgage Choice Pty Ltd and Smartline Operations Pty Ltd as its credit licensees. Both are owned and operated by REA Group. Your proposed arrangement must identify the licensee you’ll represent and the entity signing the franchise agreement.
Compare this model with other mortgage aggregator arrangements on the same basis. Include the brand and support you receive, the income you retain and the commitments attached to leaving.
Lender Access and Operating Support
Mortgage Choice combines a lender panel with business systems and support for franchisees. Its franchise page advertises access to more than 35 lenders. Access to a network panel and your own lender accreditations are separate matters, so list the accreditations your planned business needs.
The current Credit Guide lists residential lenders and Mortgage Choice-branded loan products. Use the actual panel against the business you expect to write. A broker focused on residential purchases needs different access from one building an equipment-finance business.
Mortgage Choice’s investment and income information describes custom-built software, training in its processes and marketing support. Its franchise support page also describes compliance training and professional development. These services support running the business alongside writing loans.
REA Group’s financial-services team description identifies dedicated commissions and broker-administration teams. It describes credit coaching and compliance monitoring through file reviews, data monitoring and complaints work.
For processing, the current Credit Guide discloses an offshore support team in the Philippines that can assist with applications and annual file reviews. Scope the tasks included in your offer before budgeting for your own processing staff. Operational support doesn’t establish that every file receives a dedicated processor.
Consider a fictional broker moving from an employed role to a franchise. Training and administrative assistance can help with the change. The business plan still needs a named person for collecting documents, preparing the application and following up conditions, with each cost allocated to the franchise or the broker.
Commission and Fees
Mortgage Choice’s commission structure starts with lender payments, while the franchise agreement determines the broker’s commercial arrangement. Its franchise page advertises a $10,000 start-up franchise fee for approved new candidates, including training and marketing support. Other business start-up costs sit outside that advertised fee.
Have the written offer state the GST treatment of the entry fee and each recurring charge. Buying an existing franchise has a separate purchase price tied to the business being sold, including its loan book and client base.
Mortgage Choice’s commission fact sheet explains the two lender payments. The upfront calculation uses the settled loan amount less relevant offset or redraw funds. The loan’s balance determines the ongoing trail payment.
The fact sheet says early repayment or other qualifying events can trigger lender clawback, usually within two years. Trail can stop when the loan ends or meets the lender’s other cessation conditions. The customer’s commission disclosure doesn’t establish the franchisee’s retained share after business costs.
Use the proposed payment schedule to calculate a net result for your business. Start with lender commission, apply the agreed franchise deductions and subtract the operating expenses you will pay yourself. Keep clawback reserves separate from expected income.
Compare the Charges in Your Offer
| Payment or event | What the written offer must establish |
|---|---|
| Entry into a new franchise | The entry fee, GST treatment and included setup work |
| Ongoing trading | The commission split or other payment basis and recurring deductions |
| A lender clawback | Who bears the reversal, how it is recovered and any reserve arrangements |
| Additional support | Which processing or other optional services carry separate charges |
| Sale, transfer or departure | Any applicable fees, unpaid balances and effect on continuing trail |
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) explains that a franchise disclosure document includes setup and operating costs. Assess it with the agreement and payment schedule. A recruitment earnings illustration can inform a forecast, but your actual settlements and costs determine the result.
Client Records and Exit
Client-record access and continuing trail need their own contract review before you join Mortgage Choice. The ACCC’s guidance on ending a franchise agreement explains that the agreement and disclosure document set out exit and end-of-term arrangements.
Separate the right to service a client from the right to receive trail. A business valuation based on a loan book needs the contract’s conditions for continuing payments, including what happens on sale or termination. Don’t treat a reference to a loan book as unrestricted ownership of every associated record.
Have a franchise solicitor locate the clauses covering client contact and use of records after departure. Record the permitted data export, its format and timing, plus who retains the compliance file. An export needs the documents and consent records required for the next authorised use, alongside contact details.
The departure plan also needs the notice period and any transfer approval process. Identify continuing confidentiality duties and any restrictions on contacting former clients, if the agreement imposes them. Assign responsibility for open applications, complaints and unresolved clawbacks.
For the broader choice between branded support and running your own brand, compare the mortgage broker franchise model. Before signing, put the retained-income forecast beside the documented exit terms so the business you expect to build matches the rights you’re buying.