Our Leg Up

Market position

OLU frames itself as an alternative to conventional equity release and shared equity products: instead of drawing a lump sum or income stream that accrues compounding interest, homeowners keep full exposure to their property and earn an incremental yield on otherwise idle equity. It cites that Australians hold 54% of their wealth in real estate equity, a pool larger than the ASX and Australian superannuation, as the market it seeks to mobilise.

No cash outlay, no refinancing, no interest accrual and no monthly repayments for the equity investor; the investment is structured as a secured guarantee against residential real estate rather than a transfer of funds. Risk is diversified on both sides of the marketplace rather than matched one-to-one, in contrast with traditional family guarantor arrangements, and buyers obtain standard-rate loans without lenders mortgage insurance.

Technology

The consumer-facing platform includes an equity and income estimation calculator and an online portal where investors track their investment. Public technology profiling lists a web stack including Node.js, Parcel, SWC, Goober, Bootstrap, PWA components, Cloudflare CDN, HSTS, Zoho CRM and Google Analytics.

Go-to-market

Direct-to-consumer acquisition through the company website, including an online calculator that estimates property price, available equity and income potential from an address and mortgage balance, followed by an eligibility check, documentation and online investment tracking. A parallel buyer funnel offers enquiry, options research and pre-approval with expert consultations. The company also publishes a content-heavy blog on housing affordability and property economics, and pursues bank and mutual-sector channels, including attendance at the WCUC 2026 credit union and mutual banking conference.

Two linked customer groups plus institutional partners: established Australian homeowners and property investors with an LVR below 80% (currently sophisticated investors with at least $250k of available equity, including retirees and parents assisting children), aspiring home buyers with deposits as low as 5% who have qualified for a prime mortgage, and partner banks, credit unions and mutual lenders.

Geography

Australia-focused, with operations listed in Melbourne, Victoria; product mechanics vary by state, with the company noting that lender consent for registering security is generally straightforward except in New South Wales, where banks can refuse.

History

The company was founded in 2021. It has published investor- and buyer-facing content since at least early 2024, explaining its name as a reference to giving people "a leg up" toward financial independence through community-pooled support rather than individual effort.

Risks & controversies

The product exposes equity investors to borrower default: while OLU cites Australian mortgage delinquency below 0.9% and foreclosure below 0.2%, a first-loss capital reserve, an additional 15% uncommitted-equity buffer and diversification across 50+ borrowers, it states that in a worst-case scenario investors tied to a foreclosed property could be asked to contribute cash pro rata. Committing equity also reduces an investor's own borrowing capacity, falling house prices lengthen the time borrowers take to reach 80% LVR and therefore lower annualised returns, and in some states (notably NSW) an existing lender may refuse to permit the arrangement. Quoted returns are modelled base cases that assume 6.8% p.a. house price appreciation.