Several Dutch banks raise mortgage interest rates

Several Dutch banks raise mortgage interest rates Weve-Images / Shutterstock.com Around 15 lenders in the Netherlands have scheduled increases in mortgage interest rates for the coming days. Due to concerns about high energy prices and rising inflation, further rate hikes are likely. Dutch mortgage interest rates see more hikes Several Dutch banks, such as ING, ABN AMRO and Rabobank, are raising their mortgage interest rates this week, mainly due to high energy prices caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. "The recent rise in capital market interest rates increases the likelihood that lenders will raise mortgage rates further," explains ING economist Sander Burgers. Interest rates on the capital markets are rising, with 10-year government bonds, which the Netherlands uses to finance debts, rising to the highest level since 2011. “Normally, Rabobank has Monday as a fixed day for interest rate adjustments. Now they are doing it as early as Wednesday. That indicates that they really have to do this,” De Hypotheekshop manager Martin Hagedoorn told De Telegraaf. “We are currently seeing mortgage interest rate increases from lenders pouring in. There are about 15 increases scheduled for the coming days.” Even after these increases, there are likely to be more hikes coming with another 0,05 to 0,1 percent possible. “If you look at the rise in interest rates on the capital market over the past few days, lenders still have a round to go,” Hagedoorn explains. “They have not yet absorbed the entire increase. We are certainly going to see increases for a week or two now." Housing prices in the Netherlands could fall slightly It seems many homebuyers anticipated a spike in mortgage interest rates. Mortgage advisor De Hypotheekshop saw 50 percent more mortgage applications in a 24-hour period than is usual. “You can see that people who are in the process of an application are now bringing it forward at an accelerated pace," said Hagedoorn. Mortgage interest rates already saw significant increases when the US-Israeli attacks on Iran first started. Before the conflict, the average interest rate for 10-year loans with the National Mortgage Guarantee (NHG) stood at 3,7 percent. Last week, this had reached 4 percent. With mortgage interest rates rising, property prices could see a slight dip as people are able to borrow less to buy a house. This will likely balance out the price increases from earlier this year. "We expect house prices to have remained roughly stable by the end of this year,” said Burgers. “One reason is that higher mortgage interest rates affect borrowing capacity and the affordability of homes." Indeed, higher mortgage interest rates and global uncertainty have already started having effects on the housing market. The first quarter of 2026 saw less overbidding and more price reductions.