Startlån from the municipality in Norway: who qualifies and how to apply (2026)

A startlån from Husbanken is a loan you apply for through your municipality, not directly from the bank. It is for those who cannot get enough loan from an ordinary bank to buy or keep a modest home. The startlån has no equity requirement of its own and no fixed national income limit, but you must be able to service the loan over time.

What a startlån is

At an ordinary bank you must put in at least 10 % equity, and the bank assesses your income against fixed limits. If you fall short there, a startlån can be the way into the housing market. It is a state scheme through Husbanken, administered locally by each municipality.

The startlån is aimed at those who cannot reach the ordinary bank market, often because they lack saved-up equity or have an income the banks judge too low for a standard mortgage. The requirement is not how much you have saved, but that you can service the loan over time.

Who can get a startlån

The municipality makes an overall assessment, but the starting point is clear: a startlån is for those who cannot get enough loan from an ordinary bank. Priority groups include:

• Families with children who are in a lasting difficult situation in the housing market.
• People who over time have struggled to obtain or keep a suitable home.

Because there is no fixed national income limit, it is not the size of your income alone that decides, but whether your finances are stable enough to carry the loan, while you also cannot get ordinary financing.

How to apply for a startlån

You apply through the municipality where you live or want to live, usually online via the municipality’s website. In the application you document:

• Income (tax return, payslips, or other documentation).
• Debt you already carry (student loans, car loans, consumer loans, credit cards).
• Your situation: household, housing need, and why you cannot get enough loan at an ordinary bank.

The municipality assesses whether you meet the conditions and how large a loan you can get. A startlån is often given as full financing, but it can also be combined with an ordinary bank loan, where the startlån covers the part you cannot finance.

A startlån without equity

The startlån has no equity requirement of its own, and that is precisely why the scheme exists. Many people can carry a monthly payment but cannot save the 10 % an ordinary bank requires. For them the startlån is an alternative to waiting many years for saved-up capital.

What decides is your ability to pay: can you cover interest and repayments over time, with room for rate rises. The municipality looks at your whole financial picture when it assesses this.

Is a startlån right for you

A startlån fits if your finances are stable enough to carry a mortgage, but you fall short at an ordinary bank, most often because of missing equity. If you have already received a financing certificate with a good margin at an ordinary bank, a startlån is unlikely to apply to you.

Wherever the loan comes from, the next question is what the home actually costs to own each month. Heimer reads the sales prospectus and works out the total price, costs, and monthly cost for the home you are considering. Paste the listing.