Mortgages in Belgium

Updated on August 31, 202614 plans compared14 providers

In short

A Belgian mortgage is compared on four things: the rate, the quotité — the loan-to-value ratio — the arrangement fee, and the cost of the solde restant dû life cover. Advertised fixed rates on this page currently run from roughly 2.9% to 3.8%, and arrangement fees of a few hundred euros apply where they are charged at all.

Our verdict

The only figure that allows an honest comparison is the total cost of the credit: interest, arrangement fee, valuation fee and life cover added together over the full term. Ask every lender for it in writing. A lower rate tied to the lender's own insurance regularly works out dearer than a slightly higher rate with the insurance bought elsewhere.

Lenders offering mortgage credit on the Belgian market and their advertised rates.
Provider	Plan	Rate	Key points	View plan
KBC	Crédit logement KBC	3.54%	Borrowing rate 4,74% to 4,88% Simulate and sign up online APR "from": the rate actually granted depends on the amount, the term and your file	View plan
CBC Banque KBC	Crédit logement CBC	3.55%	Borrowing rate 4,74% to 4,92% French-language brand of the KBC group APR "from": the rate actually granted depends on the amount, the term and your file	View plan
Keytrade Bank	Crédit hypothécaire Keytrade	3.62%	Borrowing rate 3,33% to 3,48% Online bank, no branches No file fees	View plan
Argenta	Crédit logement Argenta	3.85%	Borrowing rate 3,99% to 4,39% Network of independent agents APR "from": the rate actually granted depends on the amount, the term and your file	View plan
Belfius	Crédit habitation Belfius	4.00%	Borrowing rate 4,01% to 6,11% Discount if your salary is paid in APR "from": the rate actually granted depends on the amount, the term and your file	View plan
Elantis	Crédit hypothécaire Elantis	4.08%	Borrowing rate 4,11% Subsidiary of AG Insurance Distributed through brokers	View plan
Beobank	Crédit hypothécaire Beobank	4.20%	Borrowing rate 4,61% to 6,40% Branch network across Belgium APR "from": the rate actually granted depends on the amount, the term and your file	View plan
ING	Crédit habitation ING	4.70%	Borrowing rate 4,41% to 6,81% Discount with salary payment and ING insurance APR "from": the rate actually granted depends on the amount, the term and your file	View plan
Hello bank! BNP Paribas Fortis	Crédit habitation Hello bank!	4.78%	Borrowing rate 4,62% to 4,85% Online bank of the BNP Paribas Fortis group APR "from": the rate actually granted depends on the amount, the term and your file	View plan
AXA	Crédit logement AXA	4.80%	Borrowing rate 4,78% to 4,90% Distributed through brokers APR "from": the rate actually granted depends on the amount, the term and your file	View plan
Crelan	Crédit habitation Crelan	5.23%	Borrowing rate 4,73% to 4,85% Belgian cooperative bank APR "from": the rate actually granted depends on the amount, the term and your file	View plan
BNP Paribas Fortis	Crédit logement BNP Paribas Fortis	5.47%	Borrowing rate 4,95% to 6,95% Belgium's largest banking network APR "from": the rate actually granted depends on the amount, the term and your file	View plan
Fintro BNP Paribas Fortis	Crédit logement Fintro	5.47%	Borrowing rate 4,95% to 6,95% Network of independent agents of the BNP Paribas Fortis group APR "from": the rate actually granted depends on the amount, the term and your file	View plan
Nagelmackers	Crédit hypothécaire Nagelmackers	On request	Borrowing rate 4,45% to 4,60% Belgium's oldest bank APR not published	View plan

Prices and features surveyed on August 31, 2026. They may have changed since. Always check the offer on the provider’s website before signing up.

Fixed, variable and the legal cap

A fixed rate does not move for the whole term. Your monthly payment is known on the day you sign, which is why it remains the default choice in Belgium.

A variable rate is revised periodically against a legal reference index, within a strict Belgian framework: a cap limits how far the rate may rise above the starting rate for the life of the loan. The formulas are written as 1/1/1, 3/3/3 or 5/5/5, which describe how often the revision happens.

That cap is a genuine protection with no equivalent in several neighbouring countries, where a variable rate can rise without a contractual ceiling. In Belgium the worst case is bounded, and the bound must appear in the credit offer.

A semi-variable formula fixes the rate for an initial period and then revises it. It buys a lower starting rate in exchange for deferred uncertainty, and it is judged the same way as any variable: by the payment at the capped maximum.

Quotité: the loan-to-value that sets your rate

The quotité is the ratio between the amount borrowed and the value of the property. A quotité of 80% means one fifth of the value comes from your own funds.

The higher the quotité, the higher the rate offered, because the lender carries more risk. The rates advertised at the top of a comparison table are generally reserved for files with substantial own funds.

Own funds are not only about the purchase price. In Belgium, registration duties and notary fees are a significant sum and are generally not financed by the mortgage. They are what determines the minimum deposit you genuinely need.

Registration duty rates differ between Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels, and reduced regimes exist depending on the region, the property and your situation. This is regional tax law, not banking, and it should be quantified for your case by a notary.

Solde restant dû: the cover you may buy anywhere

The solde restant dû — schuldsaldoverzekering in Dutch — is mortgage life cover: it repays the outstanding capital if the borrower dies. It is not imposed by law, but Belgian lenders require it in practice on almost every file.

Its cost depends on age, health and smoker status. Over a long term it represents a considerable sum, in some files tens of thousands of euros, which is why comparing it separately changes the outcome more often than comparing rates does.

The point most borrowers miss: you are free to buy this insurance from any insurer. The lender may not impose its own policy, and the spread between insurers is frequently wider than the spread between lenders' rates.

Some lenders grant a rate reduction conditional on taking their insurance. That is a legitimate offer, but it must be assessed as a package: a rate discount does not always cover a dearer premium over twenty years.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a legal debt-to-income limit in Belgium?

No. Belgium has no single statutory ceiling on the share of income that can go to loan repayments. Lenders apply their own risk policies, within supervisory expectations issued by the National Bank of Belgium. Practices have converged but real differences remain, which is why the same file gets different answers from different lenders.

Can I borrow without any own funds?

It has become difficult. Lenders rarely finance the whole purchase price, and registration duties and notary fees are generally not covered by the mortgage at all. Own funds at least equal to those acquisition costs are in practice necessary, whatever the loan-to-value a lender is willing to grant.

Must I take the solde restant dû cover from my lender?

No. You are free to take it with any insurer, and the difference in premium between insurers is substantial, especially by age and smoker status. Compare it separately, and factor in any rate reduction the lender offers in exchange for its own policy before deciding.

Is a variable rate risky in Belgium?

Less than in several neighbouring countries, because Belgian law caps how far the rate may rise above the starting rate. The risk exists but it is bounded, and the bound is stated in the credit offer. Ask the lender for the monthly payment at that capped maximum before deciding.

Can I refinance a Belgian mortgage?

Yes, either with your existing lender or by moving to another one. The operation carries costs: a reinvestment fee owed to the original lender, and where you change lender, the release of the existing mortgage registration plus a new deed. Those costs have to enter the calculation for it to be honest.