After falling near-continuously since the summer of last year, Dutch mortgage interest rates have started rising again. As the Netherlands experienced its highest interest rate hike in 18 months, there has been an uptick in mortgage applications as homebuyers rush to lock in current rates before they rise any further.
Dutch mortgage interest rates rise for start of 2025
With mortgage interest rates in the Netherlands reaching new lows last year, many were expecting them to continue dropping in 2025. However, a different pattern has emerged: the start of the year saw rates rise, especially affecting rates for mortgages with the National Mortgage Guarantee (NHG). This is mainly due to global economic and political developments.
In the second week of January, interest rates for the most popular fixed-rate period of 10 years rose from 3,54 percent to 3,65 percent. According to financial advisors at Van Bruggen Adviesgroep, this is the largest increase in one week since October 2023. The 20-year fixed rate also rose sharply from 3,97 percent to 4,09 percent.
On a positive note, the third week saw a levelling off as average mortgage interest rates for fixed periods of 5 10, and 30 years increased by only 0,01 percentage points. Economists predict that rates could continue to increase slightly before a decline again as market conditions stabilise.
Spike in mortgage applications amid rising interest rates
While rates were hiked up by banks and lenders, mortgage interest rates remained 0,9 percentage points lower than they were over a year ago. For this reason, there was a significant spike in mortgage applications as people in the Netherlands attempted to buy homes before the rates rose even higher.
According to mortgage advisor De Hypotheekshop, just one week saw 30 percent more mortgage applications submitted. This comes after the number of applications saw a substantial increase at the end of 2024, especially among first-time buyers.