In South Africa FHF almost always means First Home Finance, the government housing subsidy that was previously called FLISP. It is administered by the National Housing Finance Corporation, and it has its own contact channels separate from the NHFC main switchboard.
Official contact channels
- First Home Finance enquiries: 010 085 2199
- Email: [email protected], or [email protected]
- Subsidy origination partners and business development queries: [email protected]
- Applications are made through the First Home Finance online portal, not by email or over the counter
- The NHFC also publishes a general information mailbox, [email protected], for matters outside the subsidy itself
Be careful about who you deal with. The NHFC warns applicants to keep to official First Home Finance and NHFC channels, because the subsidy attracts people offering to speed up an application for a fee.
What this organisation provides
- A once-off government subsidy to help first-time buyers in the gap market buy or build a home
- The target market is households earning between R3 501 and R22 000 a month, the band that typically earns too much for a fully subsidised house but too little for an ordinary bond
- Applicants must be first-time home owners, checked against the Deeds Register
- Where the subsidy is used to build rather than buy, the build must be reflected on a valid NHBRC certificate
- A checklist of approval and payment requirements is published on the First Home Finance website
Applications open in defined windows rather than running continuously, and the online portal closes between them, so check the portal for the current dates before preparing documents.
Address and operating information
- Office: 90 Grayston Drive, Sandown, Sandton, 2031
- This is the National Housing Finance Corporation office in Sandton, which administers the subsidy nationally
- The subsidy is national, so there is no need to apply in the province where you plan to buy
Applications and escalation
- For a query about an application already lodged, quote your application reference and identity number in the enquiries mailbox, since the portal record is what the team works from
- If an application outcome is disputed, put the dispute in writing to the enquiries mailbox and ask for the reason for the decision against the published checklist
- To report fraud or corruption involving the subsidy, the NHFC publishes an independent hotline mailbox, [email protected]
Sources
- First Home Finance website, for the enquiries number, both enquiry mailboxes, the Sandton address, the income band and the first-time-buyer and NHBRC requirements
- National Housing Finance Corporation website, for the business development mailbox, the information mailbox, the hotline mailbox and the warning about using official channels only