Since the Nineties, when interest rates were last extremely high, the French mortgage market has been based on long term mortgage deals which offer a degree of protection for the borrower.

It is quite common for a French resident to fix their mortgage payments for 25 years and to see that loan through to the end without ever remortgaging.

French mortgages for second home properties are now available for up to 85% of the purchase price excluding purchase taxes (Notaire fees).

French mortgage interest rates are generally 1-3% below the UK/USA equivalent, so it may be cheaper to borrow the money in France.

By taking a mortgage in France, you will also have to pay a mortgage registration tax which varies depending on the loan amount. As a rule of thumb it will be between 0.75% and 1.5% , depending on the build itself. This tax is collected directly by the Notaire.

French banks will charge up to 1% as a fee to set up the loan, though generally the amount will be lower if you apply via ICE Finance.

ICE Finance charges a fee as specialists which will be payable on acceptance of your mortgage offer. Enquire within.

The first step is to speak with a professional French mortgage broker like ICE Finance who will ask a few important questions to establish your eligibility with a number of different banks.

Initially we will want to understand your existing debt to income ratio. This is calculated by dividing your outgoings for debt payments by your gross income and should not exceed 33%.

Request a pre-approval decision now and let us work out how much you could borrow.

French mortgage products for second/holiday homes are designed to maximise security for both the borrower and the bank.

Therefore the majority of loans in the French mortgage market will be on a long term fixed rate or a capped variable rate.

Consult our dedicated webpage on the different types of mortgage products available here in France.

Click here to view the latest interest rates available for overseas clients, be the mortgage in Euros, Swiss Francs or US Dollars.

Following the changes in the mortgage application process of certain EU countries, obtaining a mortgage in France is no longer harder to do than in neighbouring countries such as the UK.

Of course, the French are still very protective over the financial markets, including those relating to French second home mortgages products but in many ways this is why it is possible to source such favourable rates over such long periods.

This security means however that non-status lending and self-certification mortgages are not available.

Each of the French banks has a slightly different underwriting criteria and so requires a slightly different set of supporting documents.

Some banks may also require documents to be certified by a finance or legal professional – we will advise accordingly based upon your own personal circumstances and French property project.