When you buy your own home, you will need to pay purchasing and financing costs, known in Dutch as kosten koper or k.k. This means that the buyer pays the property transfer tax and the costs of the transfer deed. Purchasing costs only apply to existing homes, not to new-build properties.
The total amount of purchasing and financing costs you need to pay varies. When you calculate your maximum mortgage, you will see the costs listed under 'Home purchasing costs'.
The purchasing costs usually amount to around 5-6% of the property’s purchase price. The exact amount you pay depends on the costs of purchase and financing costs.
Everyone pays the same percentage of property transfer tax and the same Dutch National Mortgage Guarantee (NHG) costs, but the brokerage fees, your mortgage adviser’s fees and the notary’s fees are determined by the provider, so be sure to shop around first.
Every year, you can finance a certain amount of the purchase price of your home through a mortgage. This percentage is amended every year and was lowered to 100% in 2018. In 2024, you can still finance 100% of the purchase price. This means that you will not usually be able to include the purchasing costs in your mortgage, so you will have to use your own money to cover them.
You can deduct part of the purchasing costs from your taxable income once only in box 1. This will lower your taxable income.
You pay fewer additional costs for new-build properties than for existing homes. New-build properties are often bought with no additional costs payable by the purchaser ('vrij op naam', or v.o.n). This means that many of the costs involved in the sale are already included in the purchase price, or that the seller pays all costs, such as the notary fees for the transfer deed and fees for registration with the Dutch Land Registry (Kadaster). The buyer then only pays the additional costs for taking out the mortgage, including valuation, advice and handling fees for the mortgage, and notary fees for the mortgage deed. These costs amount to around 2 to 3% of the property’s purchase price. However, you may still need to pay purchasing costs such as the costs of a building survey when buying a new-build property, or even estate agent fees if you have an estate agent.
To find out what your options are, you can arrange an appointment with a mortgage adviser. Simply complete the appointment form and make an appointment for a no-obligations orientation meeting. An adviser will call you to schedule an appointment.
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