Kontantinsats

At least 10 percent of the price

The kontantinsats (cash deposit) is the part of the purchase you cover yourself, on top of the mortgage. The bank can only lend up to the bolånetak (mortgage cap) against the home as security, so you cover the rest with your own capital, usually savings. On a home priced at 4 million kr, that means at least 400 000 kr.

Since 1 April 2026 the bolånetak is 90 percent of the home’s market value. That means the smallest kontantinsats is now 10 percent of the price. The old requirement was 15 percent, so the threshold has dropped a fair bit. The limit is measured on the loan-to-value ratio at the point the loan is granted, in other words at the purchase itself.

What you should do

Work backwards from what you have saved: your kontantinsats divided by 0.10 gives roughly the highest price you can meet the requirement on. With 500 000 kr saved, that stretches to a home around 5 million kr.

Keep in mind that the kontantinsats is not your whole cash need. Add a margin for bidding, any pantbrev (mortgage deed) and lagfart (title registration) costs for a villa (detached house), and a buffer for moving and the unexpected. You cannot borrow the kontantinsats itself against the home as security, so it needs to be in place before you start bidding.