Very few people can afford to buy a property without financial assistance. That is why so many want to take out loans. Do they think they received good advice? Were they granted the loan? Do they have problems making loan payments? And do they need follow-up financing? These are some of the questions that BaFin sought to answer in its survey of more than 3,000 consumers in summer 2024 (see info box).

The key findings of the BaFin survey:

• Around four in five respondents seeking a property loan get professional advice. 88% believe that they are well informed about the risks associated with the loan.
• Just under half of respondents with a current fixed-rate property loan will need follow-up financing. 40% of this subset will need it as early as 2025 or 2026.
• Almost one in four people who made enquiries about conditions or applications for follow-up financing received one or more rejections.
• More than half of the respondents with a property loan find it difficult to cover their costs of living alongside monthly loan payments.
• Every fifth woman and every tenth man who is paying off a property loan on their own spends more than 40% of their monthly net income on loan payments.

Advice on property financing generally good

81% of respondents who were looking for a property loan when BaFin conducted its survey had sought professional advice from a bank, savings bank (Sparkasse), insurance company, Bausparkasse or credit intermediary. Almost all of them felt they were well informed. During discussions, respondents were almost always given a precise calculation of the loan payments that would suit their individual circumstances. Most respondents also thought they were well informed about how to safeguard financing arrangements against unfortunate life events, such as unemployment or illness. 88% believed they had been well informed by their advisor about the risks relating to property loans. However, that also means that more than one in ten respondents do not think they were well informed.

Loans rejected if own funds are lacking and income is low

71% of respondents who were looking for a property loan had made one or more loan applications or enquiries about conditions. Almost a third of them received at least one rejection. The rejection rate for applications for follow-up financing was somewhat lower (22%). When providers gave reasons for their rejection, the most frequently cited factors were insufficient own funds or insufficient income. Other reasons for rejection included bounced payments on bank statements, overdrafts exceeding agreed limits and negative Schufa scores.

Financial shortfalls not unusual

BaFin’s survey also looked into how often borrowers struggle to cover their costs of living alongside monthly loan payments using their regular income. The results showed that more than 50% have such problems at least “rarely” (see infographic 1). In order to cover their expenses, many people dip into savings, postpone planned spending or take on an additional job.

Of the respondents who experienced payment difficulties, more than half stated that they had taken on additional short-term debt, e.g. by paying bills late or using credit cards and arranged overdrafts. “We view this as a problem because short-term borrowing like this is usually quite costly,” explains BaFin Consumer Protection Officer Christian Bock in an interview on the BaFin website. He also noted that consumers might also lose track of their debts and slip into a debt spiral.

Of the respondents who had a property loan at the time BaFin conducted its survey, almost one quarter were concerned that they might not be able to finance it.

Figure 1: Difficulties with loan repayments

On the basis of 706 participants Source: BaFin

High demand for follow-up financing

Most borrowers (91%) had agreed a fixed interest rate for their current loan. Almost half will need follow-up financing to pay off the remaining debt. Of this amount, 40% will require such financing as early as 2025 or 2026. If mortgage interest rates do not fall significantly by then, many of these borrowers will have to obtain follow-up financing at a substantially higher interest rate, in particular those whose interest rate is currently fixed for a period of five or ten years. Durchschnittliche Kreditrate: 767 Euro

Average monthly payment: €767

The survey also revealed that 44% of respondents finance their loan jointly while 56% do so alone. The average monthly rate paid by the borrowers surveyed is €767. This equates to an average debt-to-income ratio of 27% in the case of those paying off loans alone and only 16% in the case of those paying off loans jointly.

Higher debt-to-income ratio among women

There is also a clear gender gap here. 20% of women paying off loans alone have a debt-to-income ratio of more than 40%. This is the case for just under one in ten men paying off debt alone (see figure 2). Regardless of gender, once they have made their repayments, these respondents have an average of €823 remaining from their net income to cover all other expenses. This group is therefore at a particular risk of becoming overindebted, especially if an unfortunate life event, such as an accident or job loss, further undermines their financial fitness.

Figure 2: Debt-to-income ratio

On the basis of 694 borrowers (167 female, 227 male) Source: BaFin