Getting mortgage-ready in Egypt: the rules, the rates and the documents

Mortgage or developer plan: which one applies to you

In Egypt, how you pay depends mostly on whether the home is finished.

That's why most new-project buyers in Egypt never use a mortgage: banks and mortgage companies lend against a finished unit with clean papers, and an off-plan unit has neither yet. A mortgage becomes the right tool when you buy a ready home, usually a resale, and want to spread the cost over 20 years or more.

The rules lenders apply

Each lender sets its own policy, but these limits are the ones you'll meet almost everywhere.

The government initiative: 12% for middle incomes

The Social Housing and Mortgage Finance Support Fund, with the Central Bank of Egypt, runs subsidised mortgages through banks and mortgage finance companies. For loans approved since 15 October 2025:

• Middle income: 12% a year, on a reducing balance. Your net income must be up to EGP 40,000 a month if single, or EGP 50,000 for a family. The home can cost up to EGP 2.5 million, the loan is up to EGP 2 million, at least 20% is paid as a down payment, and the term is up to 25 years at most lenders.
• Low income: 8% a year. The income limits are set by each Social Housing announcement, so check the current offer before you apply.
• The initiative is for Egyptians living in Egypt, buying a fully finished home.

The initiative's rates were 3% and 8% before October 2025, and you'll still see those numbers online. They apply only to older loans.

Commercial mortgages: what they really cost

Outside the initiative, banks price mortgages off the Central Bank's rates. At its 24 September 2026 meeting, the Central Bank kept its overnight lending rate at 20%, and published bank mortgage rates in mid-2026 ranged from about 18% to 24%.

Here is what that means in monthly terms:

Two things follow. A commercial mortgage only makes sense on a high, stable income, or as a bridge you plan to repay early. And under the initiative, the income cap and the 40% rule work against each other: a family at the EGP 50,000 cap can carry a payment of about EGP 20,000, which supports a loan of about EGP 1.9 million over 25 years, not the full EGP 2 million.

The documents to gather now

Lenders ask for much the same file. Gathering it before you find the home saves weeks.

• National ID, valid, and your spouse's if you apply on a family income
• Proof of income: a salary certificate or HR letter stating your net pay, and recent payslips
• Bank statements for the last 6 to 12 months, showing your salary arriving
• If you own a business: commercial register, tax card and recent financial statements or tax returns
• A recent utility bill for your current address
• Marriage certificate, if you apply as a family
• Your credit report from I-Score, Egypt's credit bureau, so there are no surprises
• For the home you choose: the seller's ownership papers (registered title or the full chain of contracts), which the lender's lawyer reviews, and a valuation by an appraiser the lender accepts, which the lender usually arranges

Your readiness plan, step by step

1. Check your numbers with the calculator below: your maximum monthly payment, how many years you can borrow for, and the loan your income supports.
2. Get your I-Score report and clear any late payments. A clean record matters more than a high salary.
3. Save the down payment and costs. Plan for at least 20% of the price, plus the lender's fees, the valuation, registration and your lawyer.
4. Talk to two or three lenders before you choose a home. Compare the rate, whether it is fixed or variable, early repayment fees and the maximum term for your age.
5. Ask for a pre-approval in writing. It tells you, and sellers, what you can really pay.
6. Choose a home that qualifies: finished, with meters, and with papers that can be registered. Ask the seller early whether the home is registered at the Real Estate Registry (Shahr El Akary).
7. Allow time. Approval and registration can take several months, so agree a realistic timeline with the seller and make it a condition of the deposit agreement.

What Feinh does, and what it doesn't

Feinh doesn't lend money and isn't a mortgage broker. We help you prepare: knowing your limits, gathering your file and choosing a home a lender will accept, so your first meeting with a bank goes well. Every home on Feinh shows whether it's ready or off-plan, so you can filter for homes a mortgage can actually buy.