Questions I get every week.

No, but it makes life easier. With a fixed-term contract and an *intentieverklaring* (intent letter from your employer), most lenders treat your income as if it were permanent. Without the letter, your borrowing capacity drops by 10–20%.

There's no minimum residency. Day-one-in-the-country is fine, provided you have a Dutch employment contract, a BSN, and a Dutch bank account. I've closed mortgages for clients within their first two months in the country.

Yes. Lenders will count your income as the primary, and your partner's income as supporting (often at a reduced weighting if it's foreign). It's case-by-case — let's talk.

From first call to keys is typically 6–10 weeks once you have an accepted offer. Pre-approval (the financierbaarheidsverklaring you'll wave at sellers) takes 3–5 working days.

Three recent payslips, your employment contract, an annual statement (jaaropgaaf), proof of ID, BKR check, and bank statements covering the deposit. For ZZP: three years of annual accounts. I'll send you a tidy checklist on our first call.

No. Every step — the lender, the notary, the valuation — can be conducted in English when I'm in the room. The notary is the last hurdle; they'll read the deed in Dutch but stop and translate any clause you flag.

Almost. The notary signing is the only step that legally requires either physical presence or a power of attorney. Everything else — calls, document upload, bank communication — happens online.

Plan for 4–6% of the property price on top of the price itself. That covers transfer tax (2% — or 0% if you're under 35 buying your first home up to €510,000), notary, valuation, mortgage adviser fee, and a few smaller items.

Sometimes. A handful of specialist lenders will count income earned abroad if it's paid into a Dutch account and taxed in the Netherlands. If you're being paid abroad in another currency, options narrow significantly — but they exist.

As a rule of thumb, 4–4.5x your gross household income, capped by the property value. The exact number depends on your contract type, partner income, existing debts, and the lender's interest-rate environment. Try the calculator for an indication, then book a call for the real number.

NHG (Nationale Hypotheek Garantie) is a state-backed insurance that protects the lender if you default. It's available on properties up to €450,000 (2026) and gives you a slightly lower interest rate. For most first-time buyers under that threshold: yes, take it.

The mortgage stays with the property, not with you. You can: (a) sell the home and clear the loan, (b) rent it out (with lender permission and possibly a buy-to-let conversion), or (c) keep paying it from abroad. None of these are dealbreakers — they just need planning.

Yes, with most lenders. About six of the fourteen I work with count your full contracted gross salary regardless of how it's split between salary and ruling reimbursement. We'll route your application to one of them.

No. I handle every Dutch-language interaction on your behalf. The notary deed is read in Dutch by law, but I'll be there to translate anything you want clarified.

Notify the lender. In most cases nothing happens — your mortgage doesn't depend on your visa once it's issued. If your residency status lapses entirely, you may be asked to rebroker, but it's rare.