What does the bank check for a home loan in 2025?

Are you considering becoming a homeowner? Beyond looking for the ideal property, obtaining a home loan is often the decisive step. Your dream of buying now depends on the verdict of a banking institution, which can be a cause for concern. Banks rigorously analyze your file to assess your repayment capacity and measure their level of risk.

If the official debt limit is set at 35%, do you know that some profiles can obtain real estate financing with a Rate reaching 40 % ? This flexibility, which is unknown and explained in the article on jechange.fr, can significantly increase your purchasing possibilities.

In this article, you'll find out exactly what financial institutions check and How to optimize your file to maximize your chances of obtaining financing necessary for your real estate project.

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What are the fundamental criteria examined by banks?

When asking what the bank checks for a home loan, you must first understand the fundamental pillars on which their analysis is based. These criteria form the basis for any file evaluation.

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The professional situation and the stability of employment

Professional stability is one of the first elements examined by banks. Why? Because it guarantees a steady source of income over the life of the loan.

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Point of attention: a recent change in employment, even for a positive development, can be perceived as a factor of instability. Ideally, plan to apply for a loan after at least 6 months in your new position.

Income and repayment capacity

Banks analyze all of your income to assess your ability to repay the loan:

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For variable or additional income, the bank will check their consistency over the last 2 to 3 years. This is especially important if you have commissions or tips that make up a significant portion of your resources.

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The debt ratio

The debt ratio represents the portion of your income devoted to the repayment of your loans. It is calculated according to the formula:

Debt ratio = (Total monthly credit payments ÷ Monthly net income) × 100

The current regulations set this rate at a maximum of 35% of your income, not 33% as many still think. This difference of 2% may seem minimal, but it actually represents an increase in borrowing capacity of around 6% - or up to several tens of thousands of additional euros depending on your income.

Concrete example: for a household with a net monthly income of €4,000, going from a debt ratio of 33% to 35% increases the maximum monthly payment from €1,320 to €1400. Over 25 years at a rate of 3%, this represents around €17,000 in additional borrowing capacity (i.e. the equivalent of an additional room in some regions).

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Personal contribution

The personal contribution corresponds to the amount that you invest directly in your real estate project. Banks generally require:

• 10 to 20% the purchase price for a main residence
• 20 to 30% for a rental investment

A higher contribution shows your ability to save and reduces the risk for the bank. It can also allow you to get a better interest rate.

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How does the bank analyze your digital financial behavior?

The criteria for verifying a mortgage by banks have changed considerably in recent years. What does the bank check for a home loan beyond traditional criteria? Today, the analysis extends to your overall financial behavior and your digital habits.

Examining bank statements

One of the first checks the bank does for a home loan concerns your account statements. Institutions are systematically examining Your statements for the last 3 to 6 months to analyze your overall financial behavior.

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The bank will pay particular attention to large transfers without a clear rationale and to The accumulation of small consumer loans or split payments, which may indicate difficulty managing your budget.

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Did you know that?
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Les real estate hunters can help you prepare your bank file in addition to assisting you in the search for your property. They will know identify specific areas of focus in your bank statements and advise you on the actions to be taken to optimize your file. This complementary service considerably increases your chances of obtaining financing in the best conditions.

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Your digital banking behavior

Banks are now adopting more sophisticated analysis methods that incorporate your digital financial behavior. This dimension of home loan verifications is becoming increasingly important.

Digital behavior reflects your daily financial management and your recurring commitments. A multiplication of monthly subscriptions (streaming, applications, services) can be perceived as a long-term financial commitment, potentially reducing your borrowing capacity.

How the bank analyzes your digital financial footprint:

Imagine your digital financial behavior as a portrait that is drawn through your transactions. The bank observes the dominant colors (types of expenses), the recurring patterns (habits), and the general harmony (balance between expenses and income). This portrait reveals your financial personality more accurately than any statement.

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Your daily account management

Your banking history is scanned for the following:

• Payment incidents: bad checks, withheld withdrawals
• The use of overdraft: frequency, duration and importance
• The regularity of expenses: balance between income and expenses

Banks also consult the Individual Credit Repayment Incidents File (FICP) to check the absence of incidents on other loans.

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Why does your personal situation weigh in the decision?

Understanding what the bank checks for a home loan also involves take an interest in your personal situation. Beyond your financial capacity, lending institutions look at your overall profile.

Family situation

Your personal situation influences the risk analysis carried out by the bank:

• Single, in a relationship, married, in a civil union
• Number of dependent children
• Age (proximity to retirement)
• Matrimonial regime

For a loan as a couple, the income of both people is taken into account, but also their respective expenses.

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Existing heritage

Your existing real estate or financial assets represent an additional guarantee for the bank:

• Real estate already owned
• Financial investments (life insurance, PEA, shares)
• Available savings (passbooks, PEL)

Our advice: present a complete statement of your assets, even modest ones. This demonstrates your ability to manage your finances and build up capital over time.

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The impact of investments on your case

Your various investments and investments are carefully analyzed during the checks carried out by the bank for a real estate loan. Their nature and volatility directly influence the perception of your borrower profile.

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Our advice: never hide your risky investments (trading, crypto, etc.). If the bank discovers them in your statements without prior explanation, it may question your transparency and reject your file, even if your other financial indicators are excellent.

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The investment project

The bank also assesses the coherence of your real estate project:

• Is it a primary or secondary residence or a rental investment?
• Does the property correspond to your needs and financial capabilities?
• What is the value of the property on the current market?

An evaluation of the property by a real estate expert may be requested to verify the adequacy between the purchase price and the real value.

The guarantees offered

To protect itself against a possible default in payment, the bank requires a guarantee:

• Mortgage: right granted on the real estate
• Money Lender Privilege (PPD): specific guarantee for the purchase of an existing property
• Guarantee from an organization (Crédit Logement, CAMCA...): the most common solution
• Personal deposit: commitment of a third party

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What warning signs can cause your request to fail?

Among everything that the bank checks for a home loan, there are some elements that deserve particular vigilance. These points can tip the final decision., even if the rest of your case is solid.

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Warning signs for banks

Some elements immediately trigger the distrust of banks:

• Registration in the Central Checks File (FCC)
• Frequent or extended bank overdrafts
• Multiple consumer loans
• Compulsive purchases or gambling expenses
• Irregular income without precautionary savings
• Undeclared parallel entrepreneurial projects

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The elements that strengthen your case

On the other hand, here is what particularly reassures financial institutions:

• Regular savings, even modest
• Balanced account management
• Stable professional growth
• The total absence of banking incidents
• A positive customer history with the bank requested

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Mistakes to avoid

Some actions can weaken your loan request:

• Take out a consumer loan during the months preceding your request
• Multiply loan applications from different banks simultaneously
• Submit an incomplete file or contradictory documents
• Underestimate your current expenses

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How do you prepare your file to maximize your chances?

Now that you know what the bank checks for a home loan, how can you effectively prepare your file? Here it is a practical guide to significantly increase your chances of obtaining financing under the best conditions.

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Checklist of required documents

To build a solid file, you must gather several categories of documents that will allow the bank to carry out all its verifications for your mortgage.

A perfectly organized file, with all the documents classified by category, will give an impression of seriousness and rigor, qualities that banks look for in a borrower.

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Timeline of preparation

Here is an ideal schedule for preparing your loan application:

6 months before

• Check and clean up your bank accounts
• Start building a meaningful personal contribution
• Reduce or pay off your consumer loans

3 months before

• Collect and organize all the necessary documents
• Avoid any new financial commitments
• Maintain regular savings

1 month before

• Finalize your complete file
• Conduct simulations to assess your borrowing capacity
• Prepare the questions you will ask the banker about what he checks for your home loan

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Conclusion

Obtaining a mortgage is the result of a thorough analysis of your overall situation by banks. What does the bank check for a home loan? Beyond traditional criteria such as professional stability and debt ratio, banking institutions are now examining your digital financial behavior and the coherence of your real estate project.

Careful and anticipated preparation is the key to maximizing your chances of acceptance. Do not hesitate to be accompanied by professionals who will know how to value your file and guide you to the institutions most likely to finance your project in the best conditions.