EcoHabitat mortgage
Mortgage interest discounts for private borrowers buying or building an energy-efficient home for their own use.
Esta oportunidad está disponible actualmente en inglés.
Banque Cantonale Neuchâteloise lends money through a mortgage for a qualifying home purchase or construction. EcoHabitat reduces the mortgage interest rate by 0.40 or 0.25 percentage points, depending on the building’s energy rating. The qualifying mortgage can be up to CHF 1,000,000 and must run for 2–10 years.
Interest is part of your borrowing cost; repayments reduce the money you owe. Your housing costs also include upkeep. With direct repayment, you repay part of the mortgage each year and the debt falls with each payment. For your main residence, indirect repayment is another option: you pay the agreed amount into a BCN third-pillar savings account, and the mortgage is repaid in one amount at the agreed date. The debt stays unchanged while you save.
Eligibility
This entry covers buying or building a family house, condominium apartment or residential building for your own use.
For the 0.40-percentage-point discount, the building must meet one of these alternatives:
- myky rating A for both heat demand and CO₂ emissions;
- Minergie P or Minergie A certification; or
- CECB energy label A for both the building envelope (its outer structure) and overall energy efficiency.
For the 0.25-percentage-point discount, the alternatives are:
- myky rating B for heat demand and A for CO₂ emissions;
- the Minergie label; or
- CECB energy label B for both the building envelope and overall energy efficiency.
You must provide at least 20% of the purchase price from your own funds, plus the purchase costs. At least 10% of the purchase price must come from free funds, such as savings, securities, gifts or third-pillar savings. For a main residence, the remaining 10% may come from an advance withdrawal or pledge of pension-fund assets.
Purchase costs include the notary, transfer duties, the cantonal tax and land-registry fees. BCN puts these at about 4% of the purchase price for a first purchase in Neuchâtel. If you withdraw second- or third-pillar funds, also allow for tax on the released amount; BCN indicates about 8% of the amount withdrawn.
For a property bought for your own use, the mortgage debt must fall to two-thirds of the purchase price within 15 years at most. Repayment must use a defined amount at regular intervals. Direct repayment starts at the end of a quarter, no later than 12 months after purchase. Under indirect repayment, payments must start no later than the end of the year following acquisition.
How to apply
- Estado
- Abierto continuamente
- Condiciones de la convocatoria
- Request an EcoHabitat consultation; new customers can use the enquiry form.
Request a mortgage consultation with Banque Cantonale Neuchâteloise through its private-loan enquiry form and select EcoHabitat. The form accepts people who are not already BCN customers. A personal meeting with an adviser is used to assess your project and ability to bear the mortgage and associated costs.