Good news if you are buying an energy-efficient home
People looking to buy a home with a high energy label will be able to get a higher mortgage from next year. And home hunters who are buying a place with a low label will also be able to borrow more – if they spend the extra on energy efficiency measures.
Housing minister Hugo de Jonge has now published details of changes to the maximum mortgage regulations, which were first mentioned in the budget in September and have been drawn up by the family spending institute Nibud.
“The government believes it is important for people to be able to find housing that suits their needs and personal situation as much as possible,” De Jonge said in a briefing to MPs. “At the same time… a mortgage should not lead to unjustified financial risks for households.”
Mortgages for energy-efficient homes
In particular, the changes will benefit the owners of energy efficient homes because they will be able to borrow more than the standard 4.5 times their salary. The extra loan will begin at €5,000 for energy labels D and C, rising to €50,000 for people buying a home with an A++++ label and a 10-year energy performance guarantee.
Home hunters will also be able to borrow more to pay for energy efficiency improvements and that too will depend on how much work needs to be carried out. So people looking to buy a house with an E, G or F energy label will be able to borrow an additional €20,000 to spend on energy efficiency measures. If your house has an A or B label, you can borrow €10,000 more. The new scheme replaces the current energy efficiency top-up of €9,000 and is not income-dependent.
Mortgages for single people
De Jonge has also decided that singles earning at least €28,000 a year will be able to borrow an additional €16,000 from 2024 so that more possible new homes are open to them. According to family spending institute Nibud, singles have lower costs than couples, which is why they should be able to borrow a little more, the minister said. In addition, earnings are also going up because of high inflation.
Former students, too, will have more leeway to expand their borrowing because their current debt, not the total sum they owed when they left university, will be the starting point for calculations.
