Information for customers

If you are concerned or worried about your financial position and think that you may have difficulty making your loan or lease repayments, we are here to help. Circumstances change all the time. For example, you might have been made redundant, lost an income or suffered an illness or a natural disaster.

In times of stress, you really don’t need the anxiety of your financial situation adding to your worries. Let our dedicated Hardship Team work with you to manage your loan or lease repayments. We suggest you do this as soon as possible – not only will acting quickly help you get back on track faster, it will also help manage the stress that goes along with worrying about your finances.

Helpful hints

It is important that you consider the following points which may assist if you are experiencing financial difficulty:

  • Consider your current financial position carefully and prioritise your expenditure and outstanding loans or leases
  • Get in touch with us as soon as you can if you are having difficulties in keeping loan or lease repayment arrangements or have received letters from us concerning missed payments. 

If there is another party to the loan or a guarantor, ensure they are kept fully informed of your situation

  • Consider any insurance policies you may have that could assist you at this time and whether you are entitled to make a claim for assistance.
  • Make enquiries at Centrelink to see if there is any assistance they can suggest for you
  • See a financial advisor who may suggest ways that can help you manage your current position
  • There are a number of counselling services who offer free advice such as your local Community Centre or Legal Aid, Salvation Army etc. We can provide phone numbers for you to call
  • Visit the ASIC MoneySmart website which provides tips on budgeting, and managing your finances.

How can we assist you?

This will depend on your personal circumstances and what you can afford so we will review your application based on its merits and your proposals. We may offer assistance to you if you are currently experiencing or if you are likely to soon experience genuine financial difficulty or hardship.

This assistance can be approved on the basis that we reasonably expect that you will be in a position to meet your financial obligations now and in the future.

We will consider any proposal you suggest providing it is reasonable and mutually acceptable and is based on your current financial position.

Contact us

You can call us on our toll-free hotline number 1800 079 866; or contact us by:

Email: CustomerAssistanceTeam@boq.com.au
Mail: Hardship Department, GPO BOX 898, Brisbane, QLD, 4001

Alternatively, download, print, complete the Financial Hardship Application Form, and forward to us by email, fax or mail together with all relevant documentation. We will advise you of our decision in writing within 21 days upon the receipt of your completed application.

Note that we cannot approve a financial hardship application over the telephone. We can only consider an application based on a completed Financial Hardship Application Form together with all relevant supporting documentation.

Additional things to consider

If you're deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment 

You can reach us through the National Relay Service. For more information go to Accessibility.

If English isn't your first language speak to our interpreter services

If you’d rather speak to us in another language we can arrange an interpreter to help you when you call us. The interpreter services are available free of charge. 

Asking someone to represent you

If you want someone to apply for you, you’ll need to give them a written authorisation form to complete so they can prove to us that they’re acting for you. In some cases we may still need to contact you directly.

If you want to appoint an authorised representative, complete the Authorised Representative Authority Form – General Authority and return it to us.

 

FAQ's