French Property Mortgages

Depending on your circumstances, you can sometimes borrow up to 85% of the purchase price for a freehold ski property in France. If you are a non-EU citizen (which applies to UK buyers) the maximum is reduced to 70%.

Yes, foreign buyers (non-residents) can obtain mortgages in France. French banks do offer loans to non-residents, including those from both EU and non-EU countries. However, the requirements are stricter, and the terms are less favourable compared to those for French residents.

Lenders will assess your income, debts, and credit history (even if it's from abroad), and they will require more documentation. Non-resident mortgages are quite common, particularly in popular areas such as ski resorts and holiday regions where many buyers are not French.

Typical fixed-rate mortgages for non-residents generally range from 3.4% to 4.5% but the exact rate depends heavily on factors like:

• Your credit and income profile
• The amount of the deposit you provide
• The strength of your documentation
• Whether the property is a second home or your primary residence
• The term (in years) of the mortgage

Yes, you can. We work with a specialist French mortgage brokerage which is in touch with all the French banks who will lend to non-residents.

The French banks, whilst they do look at your nationality and where you reside, more importantly, look at the country where you pay tax. Different nationalities will be able to attain different loan-to-value ratios:

• British/EU: 70-85% loan-to-value is common
• US: Normally up to around 50% loan-to-value at the moment
• Southeast Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore): Around 60%
• UAE: Around 50-60%
• Other countries: We need to look at on a case-by-case basis