TaxAngels

In this tough financial climate we continue to find ourselves, many are left with their assets floundering in the wind, so to speak! Resale properties have traditionally incurred a transfer tax based on the property value and purpose of the property, with rates potentially reaching 8% of the property's value in certain cases. In the current market environment it has become more difficult to release funds from your existing property and rates are higher than for a standard acquisition mortgage.

Once you've found a property in the Algarve to buy then the mortgage approval process can be completed fairly quickly. There's no such thing as a ‘buy-to-let mortgage' in Portugal, banks do not differentiate their offering. Fiscal residents in Portugal (i.e., those who pay tax there) may be able to borrow up to 85-90% of the sale price in some cases.

During the term the property is not part of the client's estate, the benefit is that the property is not part of the client's tax liabilities. Banks will then apply their "affordability" percentage, which can be up to 40%, which allows you a repayment figure of €400 per month (40% of the net income of €1,000).

In fact in some cases you can get a better deal from another bank, when buying bank owned properties. The competitive UK mortgage market provides several advantageous deals on sterling loans. However, many banks don't lend for international properties or restrict their lending to particular types of property or locations.

The steeper price of land plots and the superior quality of the properties in Portugal has led to the property costs becoming higher than that in Spain. In April 2016 Bankinter closed the purchase of Barclays' retail business in Portugal thus forming Bankinter, SA - Sucursal em Portugal.

The early redemption penalty for a variable rate acquisition mortgage is 0.50% as per the regulation of the Bank of Portugal. If it is a straight forward residential property purchase then most banks will make an offer, this is however often only 50% of the property purchase price or less, we offer up to 80% for non residents applying for loans in Portugal.

Non-performing loans in Portuguese banks have been reduced to 17.2 billion euros last December 2019 from their previous peak, which was 50 billion euros as of June 2016. Fitch expects housing prices in Portugal to register moderate increases in 2018 and 2019, around 5% per year.

Tax Angels is an independent and experienced financial consultancy company that provides free mortgage services to non-residents in Portugal. Openwork Limited offers insurance and investment advice on products from a limited number of product providers and advice on mortgages representative of the whole of the market.

Quinta Finance mortgage advisors are UK qualified and through their well established relationships with all the major Portuguese lenders Algarve Property Rentals they are able to assist you in sourcing the best available mortgage offer and help you navigate your way through the mortgage process.

Portugal is in the Eurozone where at the time of writing (April 2016) rates are a little higher than in the UK. However, much like the UK mortgage market there is a wide range of mortgage products available so an accurate rate will depend on your circumstances though you should reckon with interest rates of 3.5-5.25%.

Our mortgage calculator for Portugal will allow you estimate the rates that each bank offers. That said, we work with an expert in Portuguese mortgages and so offer a very good chance if the criteria are met. Arranging your Spanish or Portuguese mortgage in good time allows you to find the mortgage in Spain or Portugal that best suits your requirements and avoid overpaying.