How much can I borrow for a French mortgage?

Last reviewed 22 October 2026

What is the 35% rule for French mortgages?

Since 1 January 2022 French lenders have been bound by a rule from the Haut Conseil de stabilité financière (HCSF). Your debt ratio, the taux d’effort, cannot exceed 35%. It is your yearly loan repayments, taken in the year they are highest, divided by your yearly net income before income tax. Borrower insurance counts when the lender requires it, which is almost always.

The rule applies to non-residents, second homes and buy-to-let, not only French main homes. Your existing commitments count too, so repayments on a mortgage at home, car finance or personal loans take up part of the 35% before the French loan starts. Lenders may exceed the rule on up to 20% of their new lending each quarter, but most of that room is kept for main homes and first-time buyers. Only about 6% of a lender’s lending can go to second homes and buy-to-let outside the rule.

The HCSF kept the rule unchanged in June 2026. In March 2026 the average French borrower’s debt ratio was 30.6%.

Sources: HCSF measure D-HCSF-2021-7 and FAQ, questions 27 and 35; HCSF press release, 9 June 2026.

How long can the loan run, and does my age matter?

The maximum term is 25 years. It can reach 27 years where a deferral of up to two years covers a delay before you can move in. That applies to a new build or a construction, and since 2024 to an older property where works are at least 10% of the total cost.

There is no legal maximum age. Across the market lenders usually want the loan repaid by 75, and a few go further. The lenders we work with generally want it repaid by about 70. That means a 25-year term works up to about age 45 and a 20-year term up to about 50. Few lenders take new borrowers over 65, and buyers at that age often use cash or release equity from their home instead. A shorter term means higher repayments, so age can cut what you can borrow even when your income is strong.

Sources: HCSF; age guidance from the criteria of the lenders we work with, January 2026. Market age limits are practice, not law.

How much could I borrow? Worked examples

These examples are illustrations, not quotes. They assume a UK couple with combined net income before tax of £6,000 a month. The same approach applies to income in any other currency. The lender applies a 15% buffer to all sterling income, rent included, and converts at an illustrative 1.15 euros to the pound. Existing sterling payments are converted at the same rate. The interest rate is 3.35%, the Crédit Logement/CSA average for 25-year loans in August 2026, which is a market average and not an offer. Borrower insurance is taken as 0.30% of the loan a year. The term is 25 years and the loan is 70% of the price.

In Example A a loan of about €396,600 at 70% supports a price of about €566,500. That needs a deposit of about €170,000 plus purchase costs of about €45,300 at roughly 8%. On a 20-year term at the 20-year average of 3.27%, the same couple could borrow about €346,000.

In Example B the UK mortgage uses most of the 35%, leaving a loan of about €130,000. That is below the roughly €200,000 minimum most of the lenders we work with use, so this case would struggle. Example C counts existing UK rent at 70%, which lifts the loan to about €176,200. That is still below the usual minimum. Other brokers quote minimums from about €150,000 at some banks, so a case like this is not ruled out everywhere, but it falls outside what most of the lenders we work with accept.

Rates from Crédit Logement/CSA Observatoire, August 2026, published 31 August 2026, excluding insurance. Deposit from the criteria of the lenders we work with, January 2026, and minimum loan as at October 2026. The 15% buffer, the 1.15 exchange rate and the 0.30% insurance cost are our illustrative assumptions.

How do French lenders treat income in pounds, dollars or other currencies?

Your repayments are in euros but your income may be in pounds, dollars, francs or another currency. If that currency falls, the lender’s cover shrinks. Brokers report that many lenders deal with this by counting only 80% to 90% of non-euro income, a reduction of 10% to 20%. This is lender practice rather than a published rule, and it varies, which is why our examples use a middle figure of 15%. The same exchange rate risk falls on you each month, so leave some headroom rather than borrowing the maximum.

Does rental income count?

Yes, but not in full. French lenders cannot net rent off against the mortgage on the let property. Instead the HCSF rules add rent to your income with a reduction. In practice lenders usually count about 70% of the rent you already receive, and some brokers quote 70% to 75%. Rent you expect from the French property is often ignored, especially on a second home. Lenders will want tenancy agreements to prove existing rent. Our second home mortgages guide covers holiday lets.

Sources: HCSF FAQ, question 17; French Private Finance, June 2026. Rental percentages are market practice.

What is the reste à vivre?

Besides the 35% test, lenders look at the money left each month after all loan repayments, the reste à vivre. It has no legal definition, but banks commonly look for €700 to €1,000 a month for a single person and €1,000 to €1,500 for a couple. In Example A the couple would have about €3,800 a month left after the French loan.

Source: Meilleurtaux, 16 January 2026.

How much deposit do I need, and what is the smallest loan?

France has no legal cap on loan to value. Some brokers advertise up to 80% or 85%, but the lenders we work with usually want a deposit of around 30%. Purchase costs of about 7% to 8% on an older property come from your own money on top. Those lenders generally start at loans of about €200,000. Below that, cash or equity released from property you already own may be the better route.

Source: the criteria of the lenders we work with, January 2026, with the minimum loan as at October 2026. See our buying costs guide for how the 7% to 8% is made up.

How can I improve what I can borrow?

• Clear or reduce existing debts before you apply. Every repayment you already make comes out of the 35%.
• Put in a bigger deposit. It widens the choice of lender and strengthens a case that is borderline on income or age.
• Look at délégation d’assurance, choosing your own borrower insurer. If an outside insurer offers equivalent cover for less, the monthly cost counted in the 35% falls. The bank cannot change your rate or charge a fee because you do this.
• Choose the longest term the rules and your age allow. The same repayment supports a bigger loan over 25 years than over 20.
• Apply sooner rather than later if you are in your 40s or 50s. Each year can take a year off the term a lender will offer.

Source on insurance delegation: economie.gouv.fr.

Which figures does the affordability calculator use?

Our affordability calculator uses the figures below, each held with its date and source.