New Housing loan and Idea loan. FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Initial consultation
If you need to book an initial consultation to find out whether you qualify for a loan, please fill out a loan application form and give your consent to the processing of your personal data. If you have no specific property in mind yet, leave the relevant field blank. We will analyse your data, assess your loan qualification, and prepare a personalised loan proposal. Our financial advisor will contact you and book a remote or in-person consultation, depending on your preference.
The first step in getting a mortgage loan is filling out and submitting a loan application form. In case you don’t have a specific property in mind yet, just leave the relevant field blank. However, it is important that you provide all other relevant information about your income, liabilities, marital status, level of education and fill in all required fields.
To assess your eligibility for a loan, fill out a loan application form and give your consent to the processing of your personal data. We will analyse your data and prepare a personalised loan proposal for you. Once we receive your application, our financial advisor will contact you.
Main steps in getting a housing loan are described here.
You can find a loan application form here. If you haven’t found the real estate you wish to acquire yet, you can skip this part. However, it is important that you provide all other relevant information about your income, liabilities, marital status, level of education and fill in all required fields. If you wish to receive the initial proposal, we highly recommend signing the application electronically. We can process such applications faster and reach out to you within 1-2 working days.
We will contact you as soon as possible, after we receive your application (usually within 1 working day). We apologise in advance for any delays due to increase in enquiries.
If you apply together with your co-debtor, we will receive your application once it has been signed by both of you.
If you need just an initial consultation to find out whether you qualify for a loan, please fill out a loan application form. In case you have no specific property in mind yet, just indicate that in the application form.
You can calculate your preliminary loan amount using our calculator.
- To buy a home. This loan is provided for purchasing (acquiring) the real estate that has already been constructed and registered with the State Enterprise Centre of Registers;
- To buy and fit out a home. This loan is provided for the acquiring (purchasing) the property that is still under construction, as well as for fitting-out the property that is registered with the Real Property Registers;
- To build a home. This loan is provided for the construction of the real estate;
- To reconstruct a home. This loan is provided for reconstructing the real estate that has already been constructed;
- To renovate a home. A loan for renovating real estate that has already been constructed;
- A loan for refinancing a housing loan granted by another financial institution.
We offer various solutions. We assess each customer’s situation individually and apply certain exceptions in some cases. We kindly invite you to get an initial private consultation and find out your potential possibilities to receive a housing loan.
When purchasing a property, the minimum down payment is at least 15% of the price or value of the housing purchased, whichever is lower.
An idea loan can only be used to cover one’s expenses or for personal, family or household needs, but not for business or professional needs. An idea loan can be granted for a specific purpose or for consumption.
Yes, you will need to provide a property valuation report to the bank. The property valuation must be carried out by an independent (external) property valuer. A list of the bank’s recommended property valuation companies is available here; however, you also have a right to choose another independent (external) property valuer. You will have to cover the costs associated with the valuation of the property.
In case when a newly‑built real estate is being acquired from the bank’s list of partners and the price of the real estate complies with the price limits set by the bank, the property valuation is not required. We will provide more information during the consultation.
Yes, the fulfilment of obligations under a loan agreement will be secured by the real estate collateral by pledging the real estate located in Lithuania that is owned or being acquired, fitted out, constructed, reconstructed, or renovated. If a customer requests a higher housing loan, other real estate can also be secured by collateral. If you wish to learn more about your financial possibilities, please fill out a loan application form to get an individual consultation.
Yes, you can. We provide this type of solutions upon after consulting the real estate developers. If you wish to learn more about your financial possibilities, please fill out a loan application form to get an individual consultation.
The fitting‑out deadline is set in the mortgage loan agreement. The maximum time limit may be up to 12 months.
Mortgage loan instalments are debited from the account held with the Luminor Bank AS Lithuanian Branch which is stated in the loan agreement. The borrower can open another payment account solely for the purpose of accumulating and transferring funds designated to the repayment of the loan. The bank will not charge any service fee for the maintenance of a such account.
Please note that in such cases, when there are no sufficient funds available in the account specified in the loan agreement on the loan instalment payment date, we have a right to debit an outstanding amount from other accounts held with the bank (including accounts of the co‑debtors) without giving written notice and obtaining a prior consent from the co‑debtor.
If you are looking for a preliminary consultation, you don‘t need a property valuation report to submit your application. However, if you‘d like to get a financial proposal for a particular property you need to provide a real estate valuation report.
Please note that in some cases, when buying the property from the real estate companies Luminor cooperates with, customers are not required to provide the property valuation report, as Luminor takes care of it itself. For more information please click here.
The maximum term for a housing loan is 30 years, and 20 years for an idea loan.
The maximum term for a housing loan is determined individually, considering and assessing all relevant circumstances.
Choosing the right loan term is very important, as repaying the loan over a shorter period can save you money; however, it is important to keep in mind that the loan instalment has to be in line with your financial situation, and the remaining funds have to be sufficient for your other daily needs (or those of your family).
Click here for more information on the fee which is currently charged for the conclusion of the credit agreement.
A commitment fee is a fee for reserving an unpaid part of a loan. The commitment fee is applied when the disbursement of the granted loan exceeds 2 calendar months period from the loan agreement sign‑off date.
For example, you were granted a loan for building a house but you don’t need the whole of the loan immediately. While a certain amount of the loan is granted to you after the signing the loan agreement, the remaining amount of the loan will transfer to your account within six months. This way, the commitment fee indicated in the loan agreement will be applied to the second half of the loan.
The amount of currently applied commitment fee can be found in the pricelist.
Loan granting process
- Submitting a housing loan application.
- Meeting a financial advisor.
- Submitting property valuation and proof of income documentation.
- Assessing creditworthiness and making the decision of granting a loan.
- Informing the customer about the decision.
- Signing the agreement.
- Signing the purchase agreement before a notary.
- Registration of the rights of ownership on the purchased real estate with the State Enterprise Centre of Registers. The request to register the rights of ownership can be submitted to the notary, who has notarised the purchase agreement, or to the State Enterprise Centre of Registers.
- Obtaining authorisation of the court (if customer has children under 18 years). No court authorisation is required in the following cases:
- when family or an individual with minors reside in another unpledged property (in this case it is required to provide documents proving that the mentioned property is registered as a family‘s property with the State Enterprise Centre of Registers);
- when pledging a land parcel. - Insuring pledged property.
- Signing the mortgage agreement in front of a notary, getting it notarised and registered.
- Granting the loan.
- Confirmation of the settlement under the purchase agreement.
It depends on a couple things. Firstly, you must have a property in mind and have a property valuation report ready. The bank might also ask you to provide other documents (after you have submitted your application, you will be sent a list of the required documents). Information and document gathering helps us to examine your possibilities. It is the most time-consuming task of all, others usually take a few days each.
Usually, a spouse becomes a co‑debtor in accordance with joint obligations of spouses and co‑debtors. When granting a loan, we must also assess the financial status of the spouse.
You can find information about different types of loans on our webpage under the section "Loans". To get personalised information on funding opportunities, please fill out a loan application form. If you have no specific property in mind yet, leave the relevant field blank. We will analyse your data, assess your loan qualification, and prepare a personalised loan proposal. Our financial advisor will contact you and book a consultation.
To receive your proposal faster, you need to sign your application with a qualified electronic signature (mobile signature or Smart‑ID). PIN generator does not meet security requirements applicable to the qualified electronic signature, which are more stringent, i. e. the qualified electronic signature must be advanced and created by a secure‑signature‑creation device and based on a qualified certificate. The qualified electronic signature is subject to uniform requirements across the EU. It has the equivalent legal effect of a handwritten signature.
If you fill out your application on the internet bank and select “Physical application signing at customer service center, our consultant will contact you and advise you on the next steps.
To make sure that a housing loan granting process is as smooth and effective as possible, you need to prepare well in advance. We recommend:
- Assessing your ability to make a down payment from your own (not borrowed) funds. Usually, when taking the first housing loan, the down payment is least 15% of the price or value of the housing purchased, whichever is lower. Please note that a higher down payment of 30% is applied to the second and subsequent loan agreements. Exemptions apply to the households with the outstanding amount of each previous loan lower than 50% of the value of housing purchased using that loan.
- Assessing your/your family’s financial situation. Monthly financial obligations (including the next monthly housing loan instalment) should not exceed 30‑40% of your/your family’s income. You should assess your income very carefully. When calculating your income, you need to assess only regular and steady income, whereas, when it comes to your expenses, you need to calculate not only the expenses for covering your credits but also your other regular expenses.
- Calculating a housing loan amount. If you have already decided to buy a property by obtaining a housing loan, we highly suggest using our calculator to assess your possibilities. Once you have decided to take out the loan, please fill out the application form.
- Preparing relevant documentation. Upon receiving your loan application, we will ask you to provide the necessary documents:
- a real estate valuation report;
- documents on your income (depending on individual situation). Documentation required depends on the income structure and can include annual income tax return, register of income and expenditure, etc. Our bank consultant will inform you what additional documents need to be provided.
A housing loan agreement specifies the funding date, i. e. the date by which funds have to be transferred to the seller’s account. After signing the loan agreement, the borrower is required to sign the purchase agreement, register the property, obtain authorisation by a court (in some cases), insure and pledge the property. The money is transferred after signing the mortgage agreement and registering the collateral, if needed. Usually, loan granting for the purpose of purchasing a property takes 1‑2 months. When granting a loan for purchasing/fitting out and building purposes, the dates of funds transfer are agreed upon with each customer individually.
Income assessment
No, we don’t provide foreign currency housing loans or foreign currency idea loans.
Currently, housing loans and idea loans are only granted to those customers who receive their income in Euros (EUR) and US dollars (USD).
If you receive your income in Norwegian Krones (NOK), Swedish Kronas (SEK), Danish Krones(DKK), Swiss Francs (CHF) or British Pounds (GBP), we can offer you a consumer loan.
The requirements concerning the period of continuous employment depend on the type of your income:
- If you are employed under an employment agreement, you must been working for your current company for at least 6 months.
- If you carry out an individual activity under a business certificate or a business license, you must have been carrying out a successful business activity for at least 2 years.
When assessing solvency, the bank considers the amount of income that the client receives after the deduction of tax (net income).
Yes, you can. Your minimum period of continuous employment under an open-ended employment agreement must be at least 12 months.
Currently, we provide housing loans and idea loans to those customers who receive their income in Euros (EUR) and US dollars (USD).
If you receive your income in Norwegian Krones (NOK), Swedish Kronas (SEK), Danish Krones (DKK), Swiss Francs (CHF) or British Pounds (GBP), we can offer you a consumer loan.
Important! We assess each customer’s situation individually and apply certain exceptions in some cases. If you wish to book your initial and personal consultation and find out whether you qualify for a loan, please fill out and submit a loan application form. Once we receive it, our financial advisor will contact you.
The requirements concerning the period of continuous employment depend on the type of your income:
- If you are employed under an employment agreement, you must have been working for your current employer for at least 6 months.
- If you carry out an individual activity under a business certificate or a business license, you must have been carrying out a successful business activity for at least 2 years.
If you carry out an individual activity under a business certificate or a business license, you must have been carrying out a successful business activity for at least 2 years.
After changing your jobs, you must have been working for at least 3 months for your new employer and have your probationary period completed to qualify for a loan.
The income would be treated as the amount of a childcare benefit paid last month, considering that all income and liabilities received while on parental leave cannot exceed income to liabilities ratio set by the Bank. Please not that only those childcare benefits that are paid out in the Republic of Lithuania will be recognised as income.
General information
The total annual loan cost rate is calculated based on the following assumptions:
- the loan agreement will be valid and will be executed until the end of the final loan repayment term;
- both Parties (you and the bank) will fulfil their obligations in accordance with the terms and conditions set out in the loan agreement;
- the annual interest rate and other costs used to calculate the total loan cost will remain the same as at the time of concluding the loan agreement and will be applied until the end of the duration of the loan agreement;
- the full amount of the loan is disbursed on the date of entry into force of the loan agreement.
Notarial fees, property valuation and insurance costs are not known to the bank, therefore, they are not included in the annual rate of charge.
The list of recommended property valuation companies and their contact details, as well as the list of the bank‑approved insurance companies, are available here. We strongly recommend contacting them directly to enquire about service charges and time frames.
The borrower must also have a current account with the bank from the entry into force of the agreement until complete fulfilment of the obligations under the agreement. The commission fee applicable to the current account is published in the bank’s pricelist and is not included in the total cost of the loan. The borrower is also eligible to open a free account with the bank which is only used for the accumulation and debiting of funds intended for the loan repayment.
You can repay your loan by the method of your choice: linear or annuity.
If you choose the linear method, the monthly instalments will not be uniform – the loan payments will be spread over the entire loan period so that the instalments will be higher at the beginning of the loan term and then gradually decrease as the loan is being repaid. The instalments will be comprised of the loan portion to be repaid, as well as the interest on the outstanding part of the loan. When repaying your loan this way, you will pay less interest over the entire loan period; however, the loan instalments will be higher at the beginning.
If you choose the annuity method, the monthly instalments will be the same over the entire loan period. The instalments will be comprised of the portion of the loan to be repaid and a part of the calculated interest. When repaying the loan this way, the interest will initially make up a larger part of the loan instalment that will gradually decrease, and the loan portion will increase; however, the amount of the loan instalments will not change.
Yes, the pledged real estate must be insured when concluding an insurance agreement. The list of bank‑approved insurance companies and the requirements for the residential real estate insurance are available here. You also have a right to conclude a property insurance agreement with another insurance company if the insurance coverage stated in the insurance contract is equivalent to the insurance coverage that would be provided by an insurance agreement concluded with a bank‑approved insurance company. In this case, the bank reserves the right to perform an additional assessment of the insurance agreement submitted to determine whether the insurance coverage provided meets the bank’s requirements.
Yes, the fulfilment of the commitments based on the loan agreement will be ensured by the real estate mortgage by pledging the real estate considered acceptable to the bank – located in Lithuania, owned or being purchased, being fitted‑out, built, reconstructed, renovated.
The real estate located in other countries is considered to be unsuitable collateral to secure the loan.
If you pledge property and fail to fulfil your obligations under the loan agreement, you risk of losing ownership of the real estate.
If you are taking out the loan for purchasing/fitting out a property, we will transfer funds to the account of a seller stated in the purchase agreement.
If the borrower takes out a loan to finance the construction, purchase/fitting out of the property and for other purpose, he/she needs to use the granted credit as provided for in the agreement. Upon our request, the borrower must provide the documents proving that the credit has been used for the purpose indicated in the purchase agreement. The use of the credit not for the purpose intended is treated as a breach of agreement. In case of a breach of the agreement we will inform our customer about the breach and will establish the deadline for rectifying the breach. If the borrower fails to rectify the breach within the specified time limit, we have a right to terminate the agreement unilaterally. The borrower must pay back the amount of the credit in full, including unpaid interest due before the time of termination of the agreement.
Once we make a decision regarding the housing loan, we allow our customers at least 30 days to considerate the offer, analyse information and make the decision. General information is provided in paper form or electronic form by stating the validity of the offer.
A guarantor/co‑debtor can be a spouse, a person who is a member of a household, parents (a parent), children. A also co‑debtor can be unmarried persons members of a household.
Yes, you can. We grant credits to persons who reside and receive a regular income in Lithuania. Such persons must hold a Lithuanian residence permit and must have strong ties to Lithuania (e. g., family, business, long‑term job prospects).
We assess each customer’s situation individually and apply certain exceptions in some cases. To get an initial private consultation and find out your chances to receive a loan, you need fill out and submit a loan application form. Once we receive it, our financial advisor will contact you as soon as possible.
You must be aged 18 and older to apply for a loan.
Housing loans and idea loans can be granted exclusively in euros.
This possibility can be offered to persons having entered into a contract of marriage, under which each spouse is responsible for his/her own assets, liabilities and income. In the absence of a marriage contract, both spouses must be treated as co‑debtors.
We assess each customer’s situation individually and apply certain exceptions in some cases. To get an initial private consultation and find out your chances to receive a loan, you need fill out and submit a loan application form. Once we receive it, our financial advisor will contact you as soon as possible.
Interest
An interest is a price that a customer pays for the use of money. When signing a loan agreement, the customer can choose either fixed or variable interest.
Choosing fixed rate with a fixed interest period is a good idea if you want to avoid any possible interest rate fluctuations and be informed what loan instalments you need to pay each month for the selected period. A fixed rate with a fixed interest period is set by mutual agreement of the Parties for a period of five years. In accordance with terms and conditions set in the loan agreement, after the fixed rate period expires, the fixed rate will either be switched to a variable interest rate, or we will set up a new fixed interest rate.
The variable interest rate consist of two components: the variable part and the fixed part (margin). The margin is fixed for the entire period of the loan agreement. To calculate the variable interest rate, we use the Euro Interbank Offered Rate (Euribor) published by the European Money Markets Institute (EMMI). The variable interest rate may be subject to change, depending on the market situation, i.e. changes in Euribor may cause interest rates to either increase or decrease. More information about Euribor.
For more information on interest rates, see the Rules for the Provision of Credit Related to Real Estate (in Lithuanian).
A margin is a difference between a final interest rate applied to a customer and a base interest rate (for example, Euribor) which bank receives as a reward for the provided services, finalised tasks and the potential risk.
The interest margin is calculated on an individual basis and is set taking into account customer‘s credit history, the purpose of a credit, the extent of cooperation with the bank, the liquidity of a real estate pledged, etc.
New housing loans can be granted by applying:
- variable interest rate that consists of 3, 6 or 12 month Euribor rate*;
- long term variable interest rate that may be set for a period of up to 5 years but no less than 12 months. On expiry of this period the interest rate will be either automatically changed into variable interest rate or a long term variable interest rate may be set again by agreement of the parties;
- Please note that the borrower has a right to request the Bank to set a long term variable interest rate for a period of up to 5 years at any time during the period of the agreement. For more information see the Rules of Estate Related Credits Granting in Lithuanian).
*Euribor interest base is the Euro Interbank Offered Rate expressed in annual interest. Euribor indicator is set, administrated and published by the European Money Markets Institute or other oficially appointed organisation. If the Euribor is negative, it is deemed to be to equal to zero.
Housing loans subsidised by the state
Approved subsidy can be used for the down payment, however each customer and his/her situation is assessed individually. The decision depends on the amount of a loan, the financial capacity of a customer/family and on the property that is being purchased/pledged.
There are two types of state‑subsidised schemes:
- A housing loan partially subsidised by the state is a loan aimed at meeting the needs of disadvantaged individuals specified in the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on State Support for Acquisition or Rent of a Dwelling (Lietuvos Respublikos paramos būstui įsigyti ar išsinuomoti įstatymas). This loan serves to finance the purchase, construction or reconstruction of the property adapting it to the needs of disabled persons.
- A loan for acquiring a first home with the financial incentive of the state is a loan aimed at meeting the needs of young families specified in the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on the financial incentive for young families acquiring a first home. This loan serves to finance the purchase and/or construction of a first home in Lithuania.
If you wish to sign a new state‑subsidised housing loan agreement or if you have already signed a state‑subsidised housing loan agreement with the right granted to an additional subsidy, you are required to present a special certificate issued by the municipality. If you decide to apply for a new state‑subsidised housing loan, you‘ll have to fill out and submit a loan application form. The certificate issued by the municipality must be delivered to the bank within 15 days of the date indicated in the certificate. You can submit the certificate by email to [email protected] or you can send it directly to the financial advisor and he/she will contact you as soon as possible.