Your mortgage questions, answered

First-time buyers can generally borrow up to 4x gross annual income (3.5x for second and subsequent buyers), subject to affordability. The Central Bank's loan-to-value limit is 90% for both.

A minimum of 10% of the purchase price. On a €350,000 home that's €35,000. Your deposit can come from savings, a non-repayable family gift (with a gift letter), and Help to Buy on a new build.

Possibly — under the Fresh Start principle, people who have been through separation/divorce (and no longer hold an interest in the former home) or insolvency/bankruptcy can be treated as first-time buyers again, restoring the 4×/90% limits and access to Help to Buy and the First Home Scheme.

Help to Buy (up to €30,000 toward a new-build deposit), the First Home Scheme (a shared-equity top-up on new homes), and the Local Authority Home Loan (a State-backed mortgage for those who cannot secure sufficient finance from a bank). We can advise on which of these schemes may apply to your situation.

Approval in Principle can be issued within days once your documents are in. The full loan offer follows after valuation and underwriting, typically a few weeks, and drawdown happens when your solicitor completes the legal work.

Yes. The lending limits are identical to those for employees — what differs is how your income is evidenced. Lenders want a track record of accounts rather than payslips, usually two years' worth.

Most lenders want at least two years of certified accounts plus your Form 11s and a tax clearance certificate. A small number consider strong cases differently, but two years is the standard expectation.

It depends on the lender — some average your last two years' net profit, others take the lower of the two years to be conservative. The approach can change your borrowing capacity significantly, which is exactly why comparing lenders matters.

Most lenders use the lower, year-two figure on its own rather than averaging — so a recent dip has an outsized effect. Where there's a credible explanation, we present it to the lenders most likely to take it into account.

Typically two years' certified accounts, two years' Form 11, a current tax clearance certificate, six months' business and personal bank statements, and an accountant's reference letter.

Help to Buy (HTB) is a tax rebate from Revenue that gives first-time buyers up to €30,000 toward the deposit on a new build, refunding income tax and DIRT you've paid over the previous four years.

The lesser of €30,000, 10% of the purchase price, or the income tax and DIRT you paid in the last four tax years.

No — Help to Buy applies only to new builds and qualifying self-builds, for first-time buyers, on properties up to €500,000, with a mortgage of at least 70% loan-to-value.

Apply through Revenue myAccount (PAYE) or ROS (self-assessed) under 'Help to Buy'. Revenue confirms your maximum and issues an application number and access code, which you give to your solicitor and developer; the developer claims the refund toward your purchase.

Yes — the two are designed to work together on the same new build. The First Home Scheme equity stake is capped at 30% and reduced by whatever Help to Buy contributes.

The First Home Scheme (FHS) is a shared-equity scheme: the State and participating banks pay up to 30% of the cost of your new home in exchange for an equity stake, bridging the gap between your mortgage plus deposit and the price.

They combine on the same new build. The FHS stake is capped at 30% and reduced by any Help to Buy contribution, so the supports are designed to stack within that limit rather than without bound.

First-time buyers, and some Fresh Start applicants, buying a new build (and certain self-builds) within the scheme's regional price caps.

You can buy back the State's equity stake over time at your own pace. There's a small service charge that begins after a number of years if you haven't redeemed it.

Not every lender offers FHS, but several of the lenders on our panel do. As part of your assessment we match you to a participating lender whose criteria also suit your situation.

Usually to a lower interest rate, which reduces your monthly repayment and the total interest over the term. Some buyers also switch to release equity or change their term.

Typically legal fees of around €1,200 and a valuation fee of around €185 — roughly €1,385 in total as an estimate. Many lenders offer cashback that can offset some or all of these costs.

You can, but your lender may apply an early-repayment (break) charge depending on how rates have moved since you fixed. If rates have risen the charge can be nil; if they've fallen it can be significant. We weigh the break fee against the saving before recommending a switch.

It depends on your balance, current rate and the new rate. The key test is the break-even — how many months of saving it takes to recover the switching costs. Our switcher calculator gives you an instant estimate.

It can tip the balance — several lenders offer cashback on switching that offsets the legal and valuation costs. We factor any cashback into the break-even so the numbers reflect what you'd actually pay.

Yes — a number of lenders offer buy-to-let (BTL) mortgages for residential investment property. They're assessed on the rent the property can earn and your wider position, rather than purely an income multiple.

Generally at least 30%, because the Central Bank caps buy-to-let lending at 70% loan-to-value. On a €300,000 investment property that's a €90,000 deposit.

It's uncommon and harder — most lenders expect you to already own your own home first, and the first-time-buyer supports (Help to Buy, First Home Scheme) apply only to a home you'll live in.

Generally yes — buy-to-let is treated as higher risk, so rates are typically above the equivalent owner-occupier rate, and many products offer an interest-only option.

Yes — rental profit is taxable through self-assessment. Mortgage interest on a residential letting is fully deductible against rental income, provided the tenancy is registered with the RTB.

Approval in Principle can come within days of your documents being in. After you go sale-agreed, valuation and underwriting lead to a formal loan offer in a few weeks, then your solicitor handles the legal work to drawdown — often two to three months end to end, depending on the sale.

Typically your last three months' payslips, six months' bank statements, a salary certificate, your Employment Detail Summary (EDS) from Revenue, photo ID and proof of address. Self-employed applicants add accounts and Form 11s; scheme or gift users add the relevant paperwork.

Approval in Principle (AIP), sometimes called a Decision in Principle, is a lender's indication of how much it would lend you based on the information provided. It's not a full mortgage offer — that comes after valuation and full underwriting — but it lets you bid with confidence.

We charge a transparent fixed fee for the assessment and full application service — see our How we work page for the exact figures — and lenders pay us a commission on completion. A broker working across our lender panel often more than pays for itself by finding the lender that lends you the most at the best rate.

Your solicitor reviews the offer and handles the legal work, the property valuation is finalised, and you arrange mortgage protection and home insurance. Once everything is in place, the funds are drawn down and the purchase completes.