Top up Loan: Meaning, Features, Benefits & Eligibility in UAE

The provision of top-ups is a quite popular concept that allows users to add a certain amount of extra capital to their existing loan. Loan seekers opting for home loans in order to fulfill their dream of owning a house can go for top-up loans that are offered by a plethora of banks and financial institutions.

Very often loan seekers are stuck in the dilemma and unable to decide whether they should opt for top-up loans or not. There are numerous benefits of opting for top-up loans which are not clear to loan applicants. In order to make sure you have all the information, you need to make the right decision we have come up with a special blog where we are going to decode the features, benefits, pros, and cons of top-up loans in the UAE.

Before we go ahead and dive deep into the nuances of top-up loans let us first understand what actually are top-up loans and how do they work in real-time?

Understanding Top-up Loans

At times, one needs a companion to fulfill their dreams and ambitions on the trail of life and it feels wonderful when you have somebody by your side to help you achieve what you aspire for. To accomplish everything, you aspire for top-up loans are always by your side. The concept of top-up has become extremely popular amongst loan seekers within the past few years.

Let us consider an exemplary situation to get a better understanding of top-up loans in the UAE.

Suppose you have opted for a home loan of AED 10 lakhs for a period of ten years. After five years the outstanding principal balance on your home loan is equivalent to AED 6 lakhs. Now, at this point in time if you are looking forward to getting your house renovated you can opt for a top-up loan to finance the process quickly instead of opting for an expensive personal loan.

In simple words, a top-up loan is given by a financial institution or a housing company over and above the amount of your home loan. The concept is quite similar to that of mobile companies that offer top-up recharge plans when your mobile prepaid balance is running low. The correct definition of top-up loans is as follows- ‘top-up loan is a facility provided by banks and financial institutions, housing companies and banks that allows debtors to borrow additional amount over and above the initial loan amount’.

Features of Top-up Loans

There are several features of top-up loans that make it the ideal choice for a large number of loan seekers in the UAE. In this section of the blog, we will be shedding light on the salient features of top-up loans.

• Top-up loans can opt for numerous reasons and the obtainable credit can be used to fulfill different purposes such as home renovation, home-decor, and other emergency requirements. The flexibility available with top-up loans is one of the major reasons behind the popularity of personal loans in UAE.
• Top-up loans are available for a period typically equivalent to the tenure of the original home loan. However, loan seekers can opt for top-up loans with a tenure of a minimum of 5 years to 20 years. The profile of the applicant plays a crucial role in determining the tenure of the loan this includes, age, income, the value of the purchased property and existing property, job stability, etc. An important point to be kept in consideration while opting for top-up loans in the UAE is that the tenure varies from bank to bank.
• The maximum loan amount available as top-up loan varies from institution to institution. The only decisive point here is that the actual loan amount and the new top-up loan should not exceed 70% of the property’s value.
• The rate of interest applicable on top-up loans are usually available at the same rate as that of the home loan. However, some banks and financial institutions keep the loan amount higher than the original home loan. The rate of interest applicable to top-up loans is very less in comparison to personal loans.

Top Up Personal Loan in UAE

Benefits of Top-up Loans

A common question that would have crossed your mind after reading this blog would probably be, what are the benefits of top loans? Do I get something extra if I apply for a top-up over and above my home loan?

To bust all the myths and clear your queries in this section we will decode the major benefits of top-up loans in the UAE, here’s a quick rundown-

• As mentioned earlier the rate of interest applicable on top-up loans is very less than a personal loan, credit cards, and other forms of available credit which makes it the right choice. In most cases, debtors opt for top-up loans as they are cheaper in comparison to other loans and are not difficult to repay.
• The repayment tenure available in the case of top-up loans is longer than the repayment tenure available in the case of personal loans which makes it easier for borrowers to repay the loan.
• One of the major benefits of top-up loans is that they are very easily disbursed and processed as the applicant is already a customer of the bank.
• A lot of financial institutions offer home loans with an option of balance which enhances the utility of the loan making it an even better deal for the borrower.

Eligibility of top-up Loans in the UAE

The following are the eligibility criteria of top-up loans in the UAE-

• The first and foremost that comes into picture while opting for top-up loans is that the applicant should already have an approved home loan with the financial institution.
• The applicant should have a decent credit score along with a clean track record during the repayment period.
• The credit score and report should be satisfactory.

In a Nutshell

The majority of financial institutions offer top-up loans these days. Before you go ahead and opt for a creditor do assess your goals in the long-term to make the maximum out of the loan.