Listen to Dimi Bartolillo on Brand Intelligence
In this episode of the Brand Intelligence Podcast, host William Tyree sits down with Dimi, Head of Marketing and Brand at Helia, to discuss how her team navigated one of the most dramatic market shifts in recent years.
When the Australian government expanded the Home Guarantee Scheme — eliminating income caps, increasing property price limits, and taking on the role of insurer — Helia’s marketing team suddenly faced a massive disruption. Their campaign, already in-market, needed to be completely rethought. Within just two weeks, Dimi and his team flipped the strategy, shifted the messaging, and found a way to turn challenge into opportunity.
Dimi shares how Helia leaned into authenticity by spotlighting real mortgage brokers as campaign heroes — telling their stories in their own words, and in the process, winning over skeptics while creating buzz across the industry. He walks through the research and creative process that produced “LMI Lets Me In,” a concept that moved brokers from awareness to advocacy by reframing Lenders Mortgage Insurance as an enabler, not a last resort.
This is a story about resilience, authenticity, and differentiation — showing how Helia seized a disruptive policy shift as a moment to stand out and connect more deeply with both brokers and customers.
Learn more about Helia at https://helia.com.au/.
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Episode Transcript
William Tyree: Welcome to the Brand Intelligence Podcast, the show where we pull back the curtain on some of the world’s smartest brands. I’m your co-host, William Tyree, and today we welcome our returning champion, Helia’s Head of Marketing and Brand. Welcome back, Dimi.
Dimi: Thank you very much, William. Appreciate it.
William Tyree: It’s so good to see you again.
Dimi: Yeah, likewise.
William Tyree: Last time we met, I asked you what your keynote walkout song would be, and if I recall correctly, it was Elton John’s I’m Still Standing. I just have to ask—what would it be today?
Dimi: It’d be something very different today. Last year it was I’m Still Standing, but this year it would have to be Change by Tears for Fears. The last 12 months have been defined by change at every level. I’ve also had a second granddaughter born—little Sienna arrived in July, which is wonderful.
But on the political front here in Australia, we’ve seen a lot of changes related to what we’re going to talk about today—the Home Guarantee Scheme. That’s had a big impact on LMI and how we’ve had to pivot our campaigns. Lots to talk about!
So, just to give a bit of background—LMI, or Lenders Mortgage Insurance, is insurance that protects the lender in case homebuyers are unable to repay their loans. It’s used when buyers are considered high-risk, and it helps lenders feel more comfortable extending credit.
What’s happened with the scheme—and why “change” is such a theme—is that in May, following the federal election, the government announced extensions and expansions to the Home Guarantee Scheme. These changes, taking effect from October 1, are having a significant impact on how LMI is delivered.
The scheme has been around for four years, primarily designed to help first home buyers enter the property market. But it came with limitations and eligibility criteria. Now, many of those have been completely removed.
The notable changes include:
The government will now act as the insurer, meaning first home buyers can purchase with a 5% deposit without needing LMI.
Income limits have been removed. Previously, individuals were capped around $125,000 and couples around $200,000.
There are no longer restrictions on where you can buy—previously, some regional or rural areas were excluded.
There are also no longer place limits; earlier, there were 35,000 to 50,000 spots available under the scheme, but now that cap is gone.
The biggest change for us, however, is the property price caps. In Sydney, for example, the cap increased from around $900,000 to $1.5 million. In Melbourne, it went from about $800,000 to $950,000.
That’s really shrunk the market for first home buyers who still need LMI—but it doesn’t mean LMI isn’t relevant anymore. We’ve had to lean into that reality with our latest campaign, which we’ll talk about. We’ve literally had to flip the campaign on its head, pivoting 180 degrees in just two weeks.
William Tyree: That sounds incredibly challenging—reacting to such a big, dynamic market shift. It seems like it’s directly impacted your addressable market. What’s been the general public’s reaction to all this?
Dimi: It’s interesting—there are really two schools of thought.
From the consumer side, people are saying, “Fantastic! This means I can finally get into the market without paying LMI, and I’m not limited by the old property price caps.” For many, it opens up the possibility of buying a house rather than just an apartment or unit.
Of course, buyers still need to meet servicing requirements and demonstrate they can repay the loan, but it’s giving people more opportunity and choice.
From the broker and market perspective, though, there’s concern that it could drive property prices up. It’s the classic supply-and-demand issue. Originally, the government planned to roll this out in July 2026, but a few months ago they decided to bring it forward—to go early and go hard—from October 1.
There’s already plenty of press and forecasting suggesting this will increase demand and potentially cause property prices to skyrocket. So while it solves one problem, it could end up creating another.
