𝐀 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐔𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐮𝐲 𝐚 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐔𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐠-𝐈𝐁𝐈𝐆 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠

Buying a home together is a big step for any couple, especially for those who are not legally married. If you and your partner want to purchase a house through 𝐏𝐚𝐠-𝐈𝐁𝐈𝐆 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠, but your 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 incomes alone do not meet the minimum required income, don’t worry—you have options!

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the different ways unmarried couples can apply for a 𝐏𝐚𝐠-𝐈𝐁𝐈𝐆 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐧, ensuring both partners can contribute to the purchase and secure co-ownership.

Understanding Pag-IBIG’s Co-Borrower Rules

Pag-IBIG generally allows borrowers to have 𝐜𝐨-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 to help qualify for a higher loan amount. However, 𝐜𝐨-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞 (parents, siblings, children, or spouse). Since unmarried couples are not considered legal spouses, you may face limitations.

But there are still ways to structure the home loan application so that both incomes count. Let’s explore your options.

Option 1: One Partner as the Principal Borrower, the Other as a Co-Owner

If 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠, but still not enough, the best approach is:

✅ 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 under Pag-IBIG financing.

✅ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨-𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫 on the property title.

How It Works:

- Since Pag-IBIG does not require the co-owner to be a co-borrower, you can legally secure both names on the Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT) without violating Pag-IBIG’s co-borrower rules.

- The co-owner (non-borrowing partner) will not be responsible for the home loan repayment, but they still have legal rights to the property.

- You may create a 𝐂𝐨-𝐎𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 to clearly outline the financial contributions and property division.

𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐫: Couples where one person can almost qualify alone, and the other partner is okay with contributing informally to repayments.

Option 2: Find a Qualified Co-Borrower (Family Member Instead of Partner

If neither partner qualifies alone, but combined incomes can meet the requirement, then one alternative is:

✅ One partner applies as the principal borrower.

✅ A 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 to combine incomes.

✅ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 )𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐜𝐨-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫) 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨-𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫 on the property title.

How It Works:

- Pag-IBIG allows 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝟑 𝐜𝐨-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬, as long as they are within the allowed degree of relation.

- The co-borrower helps 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 by combining incomes.

- The partner who is not a borrower can 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞 to ensure co-ownership.

𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐫: Couples where neither qualifies alone, but one has a family member willing to be a co-borrower.

Option 3: Avail of a Joint Housing Loan in Special Cases

Pag-IBIG does make some exceptions for joint housing loans between unrelated individuals if:

✅ 𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨-𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐲 (both names appear in the title).

✅ 𝐀 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨-𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭, 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝.

✅ 𝐏𝐚𝐠-𝐈𝐁𝐈𝐆 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐈𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬:

- Some Pag-IBIG branches may allow joint loans if both applicants show a strong financial history.

- You may need to personally visit a Pag-IBIG office and request an evaluation.

𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐫: Couples who want equal financial responsibility in the loan and can convince Pag-IBIG to approve the joint application.

Things to Consider Before Buying a House Together

Before proceeding with any of these options, here are some essential factors to consider:

1. Future Relationship Status– If the 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬, ownership disputes may arise. 𝐀 𝐂𝐨-𝐎𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 can help define each partner’s financial contributions and ownership rights.

2. 𝐋𝐨𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 – If only one partner is on the loan, the other has no legal obligation to repay, which could cause complications if payments are not met.

3. 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 – Since unmarried couples are not covered under marriage laws, creating a 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 is highly recommended to avoid future issues.

Final Thoughts: Which Option is Best for You?

- ✅ If one partner can almost qualify alone𝐯→ Go with 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟏 )𝐂𝐨-𝐎𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐩).

- ✅ If both incomes are needed, but Pag-IBIG won’t allow 𝐜𝐨-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 → 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐 )𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫).

- ✅ If Pag-IBIG allows an exception→ 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟑 )𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐨𝐚𝐧).

While Pag-IBIG financing can be tricky for unmarried couples, these strategies can help you achieve your dream of homeownership together. It’s always best to consult with 𝐏𝐚𝐠-𝐈𝐁𝐈𝐆 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 or a real estate professional to ensure the smoothest application process.

Would you like assistance in understanding 𝐏𝐚𝐠-𝐈𝐁𝐈𝐆 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬?

 Let us know in the comments!