Zero-interest loan: who can benefit from it for a first purchase

The zero-interest loan can finance part of a first purchase intended to become your main residence, alongside another mortgage. Its award depends in particular on your resources, your status as a property owner and the characteristics of the property.

In Saint-Denis, as in neighbouring towns, the project must be considered as a whole: the number of people who will occupy the property, the local authority, the cost of the transaction and the nature of the purchase all come into play.

Additional financing for your main residence

The PTZ helps finance part of a purchase or construction. It is not a sum given to you: you repay the amount borrowed without paying interest. According to Service-Public.fr, this loan also involves no application or valuation fees.

The project must include another mortgage. The amount obtained under the PTZ depends in particular on the income taken into account and the characteristics of the transaction. Only one PTZ may be granted for the same property transaction.

The intended use of the property is also decisive: it must become your main residence within the time limits set by the regulations.

The concept of a main residence is therefore not limited to the address shown in your records. It also refers to the actual occupation of the property, with rules and exceptions specified by the administration.

Should you buy for the first time?

The term “first-time buyer” provides a useful guide, but the condition is more specific. To obtain the PTZ, you must not have owned your main residence during the 2 years preceding the loan. Nor must you have acquired real property rights in your main residence under a real solidarity lease during those 2 years.

Thus, a former property does not necessarily prevent access to the scheme: the period to be examined is the one preceding the loan. Conversely, seeking a new home is not sufficient to establish that the condition is met.

The restriction does not apply in the following situations:

• you hold the usufruct or bare ownership of your main residence;
• the applicant or a person occupying the dwelling holds an inclusive mobility card bearing the disability designation, or a category 2 or 3 disability card, corresponding to an absolute incapacity to work, or receives the AAH or AEEH ;
• a natural or technological disaster has made your home permanently uninhabitable, and the loan application is made within 2 years of publication of the order recording the disaster.

These exceptions concern the condition relating to previous ownership. They do not remove the need to examine the other criteria of the project, particularly the resources and the property being financed.

How should the income ceilings be assessed?

For a standard purchase or a new-build construction with an offer issued from April 2025 onwards, the resources taken into account must be below the applicable ceiling. This ceiling depends on two factors: the municipality where the future home is located and the number of people who will live there.

The amount retained does not necessarily correspond solely to the applicant’s income. The authorities compare the following two amounts and retain the higher one:

• the total reference taxable income of the applicant and the other people who will occupy the dwelling, for year N-2 ;
• the total cost including VAT of the property transaction to be financed, divided by 9.

Income from abroad is taken into account and supporting documents must be provided when applying. You must therefore gather information concerning the future occupants, rather than limiting yourself to your own income.

The comparison with the cost of the transaction may change the amount taken into account. It would therefore be misleading to conclude that they are eligible by looking only at the taxable income shown on their tax notice.

To find out the ceiling applicable to your situation, consult the official PTZ fact sheet and its tools. The municipality where the home is located and the number of occupants must be entered accurately.

Which properties can be financed?

The PTZ may contribute to the purchase of a new home completed less than 5 years ago, for its first occupation. It may also finance part of the construction of a home intended for first occupation once the work required to build or deliver it has been completed.

In the case of a new build, construction work can only begin once the loan offer has been issued. This point should be checked as soon as the project schedule becomes clearer.

The financing may also cover the construction or simultaneous purchase of outbuildings, such as a garage, parking space, loggia or conservatory.

For a standard purchase or a construction project, the applicable conditions depend on the date the offer was issued. For an offer issued up to March 2025, the home notably had to be located in zone A, A bis or B1 and in a collective residential building comprising more than 2 partially or totally superimposed dwellings. It is therefore important to take the date of the offer into account when consulting information about a project.

For existing properties, the PTZ notably requires the property to be located in a municipality in zone B2 or C and improvement works to represent at least 25% of the total cost of the transaction; these works must in principle be completed within 3 years of the loan offer being issued. As Saint-Denis is classified as zone A bis, this route does not apply there. The purchase of social housing and the conversion of an existing premises into a home are subject to different conditions. For these projects, check the relevant section of the official information sheet before concluding that you are eligible.

What occupancy obligations should be provided for?

For a standard purchase or a new-build construction with an offer issued from April 2025 onwards, the home must become your main residence no later than 1 year after the purchase or the end of the works. You may also move into it when you retire, if this occurs within a maximum period of 6 years from the purchase of the home or completion of the works. Until you retire, the home may be rented out, subject to certain conditions. According to the authorities, a main residence is in principle occupied for at least 8 months a year.

Occupation for less than 8 months may nevertheless be compatible with this classification in at least one of the following cases:

• a situation of force majeure;
• a health reason;
• professional activity requiring regular travel;
• an absolute necessity to remain in post linked to your status or employment contract, or that of at least one other person intending to live in the property;
• the distance from the place of work, yours or that of at least one other person intending to live in the property, for a maximum of 3 years;
• the dwelling is let while you are waiting to retire shortly.

For a project connected with retirement or letting the property before retirement, consult the official fact sheet to examine the conditions applicable to your situation.

Prepare your application in Saint-Denis and the surrounding area

Whether you are looking in Saint-Denis or a neighbouring town, start by identifying precisely the nature of the transaction: new-build purchase, construction or another project. For a new-build property, the date of the mortgage offer and the town help guide the checks.

Then gather the information useful for assessing resources: the reference taxable incomes of the people who will live in the property, any supporting documents for foreign income and the total cost including VAT of the transaction. This data is used to determine the amount to compare with the applicable ceiling.

The municipality also plays a role in estimating the financing. The simulator mentioned by Service-Public.fr can be used to check the property’s zone; another tool helps estimate the PTZ amount. An estimate remains distinct from the assessment of your loan application.

For research purposes, Saint-Denis Immobilier offers flats and houses for sale in Saint-Denis and neighbouring towns. Eligibility for the PTZ must be checked for the property and transaction under consideration.

For a question specific to your situation, the ADIL network provides free information on housing. ANIL helps you find your ADIL by selecting your département.

Frequently asked questions