AMSTERDAM

Mortgage advice in Amsterdam

In Amsterdam you rarely buy an ordinary house. Usually it is an apartment in a building well over a hundred years old, with a homeowners' association attached, and in many cases that building stands on land that is not yours but the city's.

That last part, ground lease (erfpacht), is where most buyers get stuck. Lenders handle it in different ways. Whether it matters in your case depends on your contract: how long your ground rent is fixed for, whether it has been bought off, and whether the lease has been converted to a perpetual one.

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What we do for you

We read your ground lease

For how long is the ground rent fixed, has it been bought off, and has the lease been converted to a perpetual one? That partly determines what you can borrow, and from whom.

We pick a lender that fits it

Not every lender assesses a ground lease the same way, and some set conditions on how long the contract still runs. We know in advance who will look at your situation.

We check the homeowners' association with you

A lender wants to know whether the association (VvE) is healthy. We tell you which documents to request from the estate agent, so nothing turns up missing at application stage.

We work in English

Amsterdam is international. Conversations, calculations and the documents you need to understand can all be in English, from first question to the notary.

What you will need

You do not need everything straight away. In the first conversation we tell you which documents apply to your situation.

Valid ID
Employer's statement and payslip, or your figures if self-employed
With leasehold: the leasehold deed and its terms
For an apartment: minutes, annual accounts and the maintenance plan of the owners' association
Overview of your own funds

Frequently asked questions about buying in Amsterdam

Yes, you can. Lenders do attach conditions, and those differ per lender. They look at how long your contract still runs, at the ground rent you pay and at whether it has been bought off. We put your contract next to the conditions of several lenders.
With a continuing lease your ground rent is fixed for a set period and reset afterwards. With a perpetual lease it is fixed for good. The City of Amsterdam has a scheme for converting from one to the other; its conditions and deadlines change regularly, so check the city's website for where it stands now.
It happens a lot here, and estate agents weigh it up. But in Amsterdam the risk is not only on your side: a ground lease on unfavourable terms, an owners' association with no reserve fund or foundations with a history are all reasons a lender can say no to a buyer who is perfectly fine in themselves. So have the property assessed as well as your own borrowing room before you drop that clause.
Read what you are actually risking
Ask about the reserve fund, the long-term maintenance plan, the most recent minutes and any ongoing disputes. An association that reserves little, or keeps postponing major maintenance, can mean a large bill later. Lenders look at this too.
In parts of Amsterdam buildings stand on wooden piles, and foundation repairs do happen. A valuer or lender may ask for a foundation survey, certainly for an older building. Ask the estate agent up front what is known; finding out afterwards is an unpleasant surprise.
Yes. Conversations, calculations and the documents you need to understand can be entirely in English. The notarial deed is in Dutch; the notary explains it to you in English.

Let's make your home plans hecht.

Hecht is opening soon. Already have a question about your plans? Send us an email, we're happy to think along.

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