French Mortgages - lending is easing

3 Nov 2025

We are seeing tangible improvements in the French mortgage market. Compared to this time last year, lenders have:

Relaxed their criteria, and broadened their offering
Taken a more flexible approach to complex income structures, and
Reduced stress-testing constraints.

The result: Borrowers who would not have qualified 12 months ago are now being approved. We have multiple recent cases where applications that previously fell short are getting over the line.

This marks a positive shift for anyone considering a French property purchase, and we expect this improved accessibility to continue into the new year.

Here are some examples of clients who have benefited from these changes:

Property in Paris; PP €435,000 and LA €320,000 (73% LTV)
- Client who was previously refused earlier this year was approved when the bank’s criteria loosened.
Property in Corbières; PP €480,000 and LA €336,000 (70% LTV)
- Couple who had wanted to buy for a number of years - lending opened up for their country of residence (Dubai).
Property in Brittany; PP €315,000 and LA €220,500 (70% LTV)
- Polish/French couple living and working in Thailand – previously didn’t qualify due to nationality & fiscal residency.

3 Nov 2025

French Mortgage Market Buying in France