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Fees · independent mortgage advice in English

Mortgage advice fees in the Netherlands

Fixed fees from € 2,995

You know what you pay before we start. We are not tied to any lender and no lender pays us: you pay us a fixed fee, agreed in advance, for advice in English from the first question to the notary.

AFM licence 12046005 · Kifid 300.017.178 · not tied to any lender

In short

Bouvy Advies charges a fixed fee for mortgage advice, agreed before we start. There are four fixed fees, from € 2,995, depending on whether you are employed or self-employed and whether it is your first home; all four are set out below. The fee covers the whole process, from the first conversation to signing at the notary. Dutch law bans commission from lenders on mortgage advice, so you pay us directly. Costs of third parties such as the valuer and the notary come on top. Other costs of our process are set out in the engagement letter you receive before you sign. The first hour is free; if we need more time after that, we agree the cost together beforehand.

Fixed fees

What is your advisory fee?

These fees apply to a standard advice process. Which one applies depends on how you earn your income and whether you already own a home. If your situation needs extra work, a supplement can apply, which we always discuss and agree beforehand. IB means you are self-employed and pay Dutch personal income tax on your business profit, for example as a freelancer or sole trader.

Employed

First-time buyer

€ 2,995

Your first home to buy, with income from employment. Includes advice, the comparison of lenders and arranging the mortgage.

Employed

Moving home or refinancing

€ 3,595

An existing mortgage or a move to a new home, with income from employment.

Self-employed (IB) or buy-to-let

First-time buyer

€ 3,495

Your first home to buy, with income as a self-employed person (IB), or a buy-to-let mortgage.

Self-employed (IB) or buy-to-let

Moving home or refinancing

€ 4,095

An existing mortgage or a move to a new home, with income as a self-employed person (IB), or a buy-to-let mortgage.

  • Advice tailored to your situation
  • Comparison of 40+ lenders
  • Application and paperwork handled for you
  • Guidance until you sign at the notary
  • Insurance advice that goes with the mortgage

Extra work, for example an application through several BVs, a family loan, release from joint and several liability (hoofdelijk ontslag), a starter loan or a gift from parents, costs a supplement, usually € 250 to € 400. We always discuss and confirm it before we start on it. The valuation, the notary and the NHG fee are third-party costs that come on top of our fee. The other costs that come with our process are discussed in the first conversation and set out in the engagement letter you receive before you sign.

For internationals

Do you handle this type of case?

The four fees cover buying a first home, moving to another home, refinancing an existing mortgage and buy-to-let mortgages, with income from employment or as a self-employed person. In the inventory we look at your whole income situation, including income from abroad, a 30% ruling or your type of contract, and your residence status.

Can I get a Dutch mortgage with foreign income?

It depends on the lender, and lenders differ a lot for internationals.

  • Not every lender accepts expats as clients.
  • Salary from abroad is accepted by part of the market: often only from Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg or France, and at some lenders from an employer elsewhere in the eurozone, under strict conditions.
  • Profit from a business based abroad is declined by almost every lender. One banking group (ABN AMRO, including its label Florius) has a written exception, with strict conditions.
  • A lender’s standard list of required documents can ask for more than its own policy requires, for example a permanent residence permit where the policy also accepts a fixed-term permit under conditions. We check the policy itself before we rule a lender out.

Whether we can help you, and which fee applies, you hear in the free first hour. More about buying a home as an expat: expat mortgage advice.

Agreed in advance

What do I get for the fee?

The fee is fixed before we start and covers the whole process, from the first conversation to signing at the notary. There is no recalculation afterwards.

  1. An inventory of your situation

    We map your income, own money, housing wishes and risks: what you can responsibly borrow, what fits your plans and what to take into account.

  2. A comparison of 40+ lenders

    We put the conditions, rate and small print of more than forty lenders side by side and choose on what fits your situation. With self-employed income the field is smaller: around 20 lenders.

  3. The application and all the paperwork

    We submit the application, collect the documents, arrange the valuation and NHG where it applies, and stay in contact with the lender until the offer is final. You do not have to chase documents.

  4. Guidance until you sign

    We stay involved until you sign at the notary: the binding offer, the conditions and the planning towards the transfer. We are your point of contact until the mortgage completes.

The insurance advice that belongs with the mortgage, such as term life insurance or cover for your monthly costs, is part of the process. For term life cover of around € 1 million or more we do a separate protection review, which we agree with you beforehand.

Free first hour

The first hour is free

In that hour you hear how we work, what a process costs in your situation and whether we can help you. If we need more time after that, we agree together beforehand what it costs. You never receive an unexpected bill from us.

Advisor or bank?

Do I need a mortgage advisor in the Netherlands, or can I go straight to the bank?

You can go to many lenders directly, although some only work through an advisor. The difference is how many lenders get compared, and who prepares your application.

You borrow for thirty years. On a mortgage of € 300,000, a difference of 0.1 percentage point in interest adds up to several thousand euros over the term, and the conditions decide what happens when you renovate, separate, start a business or repay early. For internationals there is a second reason: lenders treat income from abroad and residence status very differently, as described above.

We hold an AFM licence (12046005) and are liable for the advice we give. We are affiliated with Kifid, the Dutch complaints institute for financial services (300.017.178).

Fee, not commission

Is a mortgage advisor tied to one bank, or is there an independent one?

Some advisors work exclusively for one or more lenders, so ask any advisor which lenders they compare. We are not tied to any lender: we compare 40+ lenders and choose on what fits your situation, on rate, conditions and flexibility.

In the Netherlands a mortgage advisor may not be paid by the lender for arranging a mortgage: the commission ban, in force since 2013. So you pay the advisor directly, as a fee. Ours is fixed and agreed beforehand, which means our advice does not depend on which lender you choose. There is nothing extra in it for us when you pick one lender over another.

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

What are your fees, and is the first consultation free? +
A fixed fee for the standard mortgage process: € 2,995 if you are employed and buying your first home, € 3,595 if you are employed and moving home or refinancing, € 3,495 for a first home with self-employed (IB) income or a buy-to-let mortgage, and € 4,095 for moving home or refinancing in that situation. Extra work, such as a family loan or an application through several BVs, costs a supplement of usually € 250 to € 400, always agreed beforehand. The first hour is free; if we need more time after that, we agree together beforehand what it costs.
Which of the four fees applies to me? +
Which fee applies depends on how you earn your income and whether you already own a home. The self-employed or buy-to-let fees are higher because assessing annual accounts, forecasts and income stability takes more work and knowledge. After the free first conversation, you know exactly which fee applies to your situation and what you get for it.
Can I get an estimate of the costs before I start house-hunting? +
Yes. The first hour is free, and in that hour you hear what a process costs in your situation and whether we can help you. After the first conversation you know exactly which fee applies to you. The other costs that come with your process are discussed and set out in the engagement letter. The valuation, the notary and the NHG fee are third-party costs that come on top of our fee.
What else will I pay besides your fee? +
The valuation (paid to the valuer; the price depends on the home, from about € 125 for a desktop valuation, where the lender accepts one, to around € 800 to € 900 for a full valuation), NHG if it applies, and the notary. NHG, the Dutch national mortgage guarantee, costs a one-off 0.4% of the mortgage amount; in 2026 the NHG limit is € 470,000, or € 498,200 if you also finance energy-saving measures. The other costs that come with our process, and what applies if you stop before the mortgage is arranged, are set out in the engagement letter you receive before you sign.
I am moving abroad and want to keep my home and rent it out. Which fee applies? +
If that means moving to a buy-to-let mortgage, one of the two self-employed or buy-to-let fees applies (€ 3,495 or € 4,095). Which one, and what your situation needs, you hear in the free first conversation.
Is the advice fee tax-deductible in the Netherlands? +
Usually, yes. Advice and arrangement costs for a mortgage on your own home are deductible once, as financing costs in box 1, in the year you pay them, provided the mortgage interest itself is deductible. They are not deductible if you decide not to take the mortgage, or for a buy-to-let property taxed in box 3, and the part of our fee that concerns term life insurance is not deductible either. The deduction is at most 37.56% in 2026; what you get back depends on your income, and we calculate it with you during the advice.
Can I add the advice fee to my mortgage? +
There is no tax rule against it; the limit is the lending rule that a mortgage may be at most 100% of the home’s value. When you buy a home, the loan is usually already at 100%, so there is usually no room and you pay the costs from your own money. If you move home and have equity in your current home, there is often room, but the tax treatment then needs working out. We look at that with you in the advice.
Is advice on term life insurance included? +
Yes, the insurance advice that belongs with the mortgage is part of the process. For term life cover of around € 1 million or more we do a separate protection review, which we agree beforehand. The part of our fee that concerns term life insurance is not tax-deductible.
Can this be done entirely in English? +
Yes, everything can be done in English: meetings, explanations and correspondence. Before the meeting you receive a fact-find form in English; you do not have to fill in everything, just what you know. We advise throughout the Netherlands, at our office in Naarden or online.
Which documents do I need for the first conversation? +
Nothing is required up front. You receive a fact-find form in English beforehand, which does not have to be complete: fill in what you know and we go through the rest together.
What could go wrong without a mortgage advisor? +
Mostly three things. The lender you went to may not accept your situation, the conditions may not fit your plans, or the financing may not be ready before the deadline in your purchase contract, which can cost you the home.
Questions?

Tell us what you need

On working days we usually call or email you back within two hours. No strings attached.

Urgent? Call +31 35 203 19 66.

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Curious which fee applies to you?

The first conversation is free and without obligation. Afterwards you know exactly which fee applies and what you get for it.