More first-time buyers turn to extra loan for first home
The share of first-time buyers using a first-time buyer loan rose to 8.3 per cent in the first half of 2026.
Increasing numbers of Dutch first-time buyers need a first-time buyer loan to afford their first home. According to the Kadaster, 8.3 per cent of first-time buyers used such an additional loan in the first half of 2026, compared with 6.4 per cent a year earlier.
The first-time buyer loan bridges the gap between the maximum mortgage someone can obtain from a bank and the price of the property. Municipalities offer the loan through the Stimuleringsfonds Volkshuisvesting Nederlandse gemeenten. It is intended for people buying a home for the first time who are just short of the amount they need.
The Kadaster recorded a first-time buyer loan alongside 8.3 per cent of mortgages for first-time buyers in the first half of 2026. In the same period of 2025, the figure was 6.4 per cent; in the first half of 2021, it was 3.2 per cent. Buyers aged under 25 make particular use of it: 15.2 per cent in that group had a first-time buyer loan. Among first-time buyers aged 25 to 35, the figure was 8.6 per cent.
The average first-time buyer loan was approximately €37,000, compared with €35,700 a year earlier. This does not automatically mean that first-time buyers are therefore better off. The average loan relative to the value of the property was around 94 per cent for purchases involving a first-time buyer loan. For all first-time buyers combined, it was 91.5 per cent.
The Kadaster also saw the overall mortgage market pick up. Almost 217,000 new mortgages were taken out in the first half of 2026, 5 per cent more than a year earlier. The total mortgage amount came to €84.8 billion, 8 per cent more than in the first half of 2025.
The figures mainly show that municipalities are using an existing instrument more often in a market where homes remain relatively expensive for first-time buyers compared with their incomes. They do not prove that the first-time buyer loan is the cause of the increase or that the scheme structurally improves affordability.
More than 300 of the 342 Dutch municipalities now offer a first-time buyer loan. The precise conditions, maximum amounts and income thresholds vary by municipality. Nor is it known how many people would have been unable to buy a home at all without such a loan.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Use of first-time buyer loans rose from 6.4 per cent to 8.3 per cent of mortgages for first-time buyers.
- The scheme is offered by municipalities through SVn.
- The figures do not say how many first-time buyers would not have bought a home without the scheme.
Left
Arguments The increase shows that housing is becoming increasingly difficult for first-time buyers to afford. From this perspective, the government should primarily build more affordable homes, regulate rents and prevent public support from mainly driving up bids and house prices.
Values Affordability, equal opportunities and protecting people without wealth.
Consequences More supply and stricter price regulation could help first-time buyers structurally; according to this view, simply providing additional borrowing capacity could increase pressure on prices.
Centre
Arguments The first-time buyer loan can provide targeted temporary help, but it should be combined with construction, local conditions and controls on financial risks. The scheme is a supplement, not a replacement for housing construction policy.
Values Effectiveness, financial prudence and feasibility.
Consequences A targeted scheme can increase the chances of buying without general subsidies, but requires continued monitoring of debt and house prices.
Right
Arguments Municipalities should retain the scope to provide targeted support to residents who want to buy a home themselves. According to this approach, the increase shows that supply and demand need to be brought into better balance and that regulation and taxes should not unnecessarily delay construction.
Values Personal responsibility, ownership and a restrained government.
Consequences Greater freedom to build and lower burdens could increase supply; according to this view, overly generous public loans could place risks on buyers and municipalities.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The key figures can be traced directly to the Kadaster and are independently summarised by RTL. The article clearly distinguishes between increased use and unproven effects on affordability.
- confirmed 8.3 per cent of first-time buyers used a first-time buyer loan in the first half of 2026, compared with 6.4 per cent a year earlier. — Kadaster, mortgage market, first half of 2026. source
- confirmed Among first-time buyers aged under 25, 15.2 per cent used a first-time buyer loan. — The Kadaster gives this percentage for the first half of 2026. source
- confirmed The average first-time buyer loan was approximately €37,000. — Kadaster figure for the first half of 2026. source
- confirmed More than 300 of the 342 municipalities offer a first-time buyer loan. — The Kadaster describes this as the scheme’s current coverage. source
Editor's note
The percentages and amounts come from Kadaster figures for the first half of 2026. The figures show increased use, but do not prove that the scheme structurally improves affordability.Sources
More on this in Dutch media
- de Volkskrant — „starterslening woningmarkt”
- RTL Nieuws — „starterslening woningmarkt”
- NOS — „starterslening woningmarkt”