The detailed rules of the Home Start programme have been published

On 31 July 2025, the Government Decree on the Home Start Programme was officially published, setting out the conditions for subsidised housing loans with an interest rate of up to 3%. The loan is intended to help young people buy their first home. It can be taken out for a maximum of HUF 50 million, with a fixed interest rate of 3% and a maximum term of 25 years. The minimum down payment required is 10%.

A restriction has been introduced whereby the loan cannot be used to purchase an apartment or a share in a property that is burdened with usufruct, and the seller cannot be a close relative or domestic partner of the buyer. Real estate acquired through inheritance is not a disqualifying factor. However, a preferential mortgage loan cannot be used by a family member to buy out another heir’s share of inherited property, as the seller in such a case would be a close relative.

A favourable condition is that if the loan applicant involves a parent as a co-debtor, it is sufficient for just one of them to meet the home ownership eligibility requirements. In addition, the property purchased with the loan may be leased. The maximum gross purchase price is HUF 100 million for an apartment and HUF 150 million for a house, farm, or manor.

The loan is available to Hungarian citizens, third-country nationals with permanent residence permits, and stateless persons. Applicants must have no criminal record and no public or tax debt exceeding HUF 5,000. Applicants must also have had continuous Social Security coverage for at least two years. This includes persons insured under the Social Security Act; full-time students enrolled in secondary or higher education institutions; Hungarian citizens with foreign social security status or full-time student status at a foreign higher education institution; persons of retirement age and recipients of a widow's pension who are gainfully employed under a legal relationship subject to compulsory insurance under the Social Security Act.

Each applicant is entitled to the loan only once. In the event of early repayment, the cost incurred may not exceed 1% of the amount repaid. The final decision lies with the banks, but the process is clear and regulated: in the case of a purchase, a lump sum is disbursed, while in the case of construction, payments are made in instalments according to the stage of completion.