A crédit relais, or prêt relais, is a short-term bank advance, usually for 12 to 24 months, granted to an owner who buys a new home before selling the current one. The bank lends a fraction of the estimated value of the property for sale, and the sale proceeds then repay the capital in a single sum. While you wait, you pay only interest and insurance.
After 55, this arrangement is mostly used to downsize: leaving a house that has become too big for an accessible flat close to shops, doctors or the children. The project is often financed without any new long-term loan, which makes it very easy for a bank to understand. You still need a cautious valuation and a realistic sales timetable. Many British and Irish owners who bought rural houses in France years ago face exactly this move, often in a slower market than the one they bought in.
How much will the bank advance on your house?
The loan-to-value ratio (quotité) depends on the quality of the property and how far the sale has progressed. La Banque Postale cites an advance usually between 60 and 80% of the price of the current home, with a minimum of €15,000. Crédit Agricole quotes a range of 50 to 80% of the value of the property on the market, the upper end being more likely once a compromis de vente, the binding preliminary sale agreement, has been signed.
| Status of the property being sold | Usual advance | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Single agency valuation | 50 to 60% | The bank keeps a safety margin |
| Two consistent valuations | 60 to 70% | Most common profile |
| Compromis de vente signed | 70 to 80% | Risk limited to the conditions precedent |
| Property still carrying a mortgage | Advance minus outstanding capital | The old loan is repaid first |
Stand-alone bridge or bridge plus mortgage
Empruntis distinguishes two set-ups. A relais sec (stand-alone bridge) funds the purchase on its own when the new home costs less than the sale price of the old one. That is the typical downsizing case, although banks grant it less readily. A relais adossé (bridge combined with a mortgage) pairs the advance with a standard amortising loan when the new property costs more; the sale then repays the bridge and sometimes part of the long-term loan.
Partial or full deferral of payments
With partial deferral, the most common choice, you pay interest and insurance each month and the capital on sale. With full deferral, interest and capital are both paid in one go when the sale deed is signed; the unpaid interest accumulates and the final cost rises. La Banque Postale, for example, offers a capital deferral over 24 months or a full deferral limited to 12 months.
Example: selling a €380,000 house at 61
Jean, 61, still working as a manager, and Sylvie, 59, earn €4,200 net between them. Their mortgage-free house is valued at €380,000. They buy a €290,000 flat, plus about €22,000 in notaire fees (the conveyancing costs and taxes paid on purchase). The bank advances 70%, or €266,000, topped up with €46,000 of savings. At 4%, monthly interest comes to €887, or 21% of their income while they wait.
Cost, duration and the rules in force in 2026
A bridging loan costs slightly more than a standard mortgage. Crédit Agricole puts the premium at 0.10 to 0.30 percentage points, because capital is only repaid at the end. It can never exceed the usury ceiling, set for bridging loans at 6.49% for offers issued from 1 October 2026. Arrangement fees come on top: 1% of the amount at La Banque Postale, between €500 and €2,000.
The initial term is 12 months, renewable once, so 24 months at most. Beyond that, the bank may convert the advance into an amortising loan if your debt ratio allows, which is rarely desirable at 62. As with any French mortgage, you must hold the offer for at least ten days before accepting it, under the Consumer Code.
Borrower insurance, the sensitive point after 55
The bank will require death cover on the bridge. There is good news for the under-60s: the loi Lemoine removes the health questionnaire when the insured share does not exceed €200,000 per person and the loan ends before the borrower's 60th birthday. A 12-month bridge signed at 57 can therefore be insured with no medical formalities, provided both conditions are met.
Debt ratio under the HCSF standard
The HCSF, France's financial stability council, limits mortgage repayments to 35% of income, insurance included, over a maximum of 25 years. For a stand-alone bridge, only the monthly interest counts towards that ratio. With a combined bridge, the bank adds the instalment on the extra loan, which can block a couple where one partner will soon retire.
Planning for lower income
If retirement falls during the bridging period, the bank reasons on the estimated pension. Provide each partner's EIG, the all-schemes pension estimate. For Jean and Sylvie, a combined pension of €3,300 would take the interest to 27% of income, still under the 35% ceiling. Owners whose pension comes from abroad should bring recent statements and expect the lender to apply a currency margin.
Seven steps to a bridge without nasty surprises
- Have the house valued by two agencies and a notaire, then use the lowest figure.
- Check the outstanding capital on any loan still secured on the property to be sold.
- Set the purchase budget including notaire fees, removal costs and adaptation works.
- Compare the advance, rate, deferral and arrangement fees from two banks and one broker.
- Compare the bank's insurance with an outside policy.
- Put your house on the market before signing the purchase, at a price consistent with the local market.
- Agree in the offer what happens if the sale has not gone through after 24 months.
Errors that prove expensive
Overvaluing the house is the main error: a 10% price cut comes straight off the sum available to repay the bridge. The second is holding out for a top-price buyer for 18 months while paying €900 of interest every month. The third is buying a new-build that is delivered late while selling the old home too early, which forces you into temporary accommodation.
Why a bridging loan gets refused
Refusals usually involve a property that is hard to sell, in a rural area with little demand or needing heavy works, a valuation judged optimistic, or a debt ratio exceeded in the case of a combined bridge. An unresolved indivision, the joint ownership that often follows an inheritance, on the property to be sold will also block the file. A signed compromis removes most of these objections.
When a bridge is the wrong tool
If the sale looks likely to drag, it is better to sell first with a delayed completion clause, or to negotiate two to three months with the buyer before handing over the keys. Renting a furnished flat while you search avoids any credit, at the price of moving twice.
Alternatives to a bridging loan
- Selling before buying with a deferred signing of the deed to give you time to find the new home.
- Buying subject to the sale of your property, a condition some sellers accept in a calm market.
- Mortgage-backed cash loan secured on the current home over a longer term.
- Viager or deferred-payment sale of the house if the aim is extra income.
- Savings and assurance-vie drawn through an advance from the insurer rather than a taxable surrender.
Questions older owners ask about bridging
Can I get a bridging loan at 65? Yes. The very short term limits the bank's risk, and death cover remains available from many insurers up to an advanced age, with a premium loading.
What happens if the house is still unsold after two years? The capital becomes due. The bank may grant a few months' extension or convert the bridge into an amortising loan; otherwise the price will have to come down.
Is early repayment of the bridge penalised? La Banque Postale allows it free of charge, in part or in full. Check the clause in each offer.
Can a non-resident owner get a French bridging loan? It is harder but possible with banks that serve international clients, usually with a lower advance and proof of income from the country of residence.
Do I need a deposit? Not for the bridge itself, but notaire fees are rarely covered by the advance, so plan savings of about 7 to 8% of the price for an older property.
Organisations and offers to contact
- Crédit Agricole e-immobilier – Taux et durée du prêt relais : Bank guide to the 50 to 80% advance, the 12-month term renewable once and the rate premium charged on a French bridging loan.
- Pretto – prêt relais : Broker Pretto explains how a bridging loan works: an advance of about 70% of your current home's value over 12 to 24 months.