Self-employed mortgage for a German property
The self-employed, freelancers and business owners often hear a "no" from their own bank first — variable income, no payslip, and scoring built for salaried employees. But a rejection is not a verdict on you: it is the view of a single bank. The next bank assesses the very same tax figures completely differently. Independently, we find the institution that reads your accounts and your numbers correctly. A self-employed mortgage in Germany is judged on two to three years of accounts, not a payslip.
How do self-employed applicants finance a property in Germany?
On taxed profit rather than turnover, and with more documentation than employees provide. German lenders typically want two to three completed years, the income tax assessments and the profit calculation or annual accounts; what they read is the result after expenses. Consistent tax optimisation therefore reduces the borrowing capacity directly — the same figure that lowers your tax bill lowers the loan the bank will grant. Fluctuation between years is not a disqualifier, but it needs an explanation the bank can follow, such as an investment year or a contract cycle. Practically, two things help most: complete and current documents, since incomplete files are the most common cause of delay, and choosing a lender that assesses self-employed income properly rather than applying a blanket discount. If you know you will buy in two years, the tax planning can be arranged accordingly.
Why banks scrutinise the self-employed more closely
Employees hand over a payslip — done. For the self-employed that simple proof is missing, so banks look deeper and more cautiously. That is not arbitrary, it is risk logic. The point is: every bank weighs that logic differently, and many branch systems wave you away reflexively, because their standard process is built for employees.
Variable income
Strong and weaker years alternate. Banks usually take an average — which years they use and how they treat outliers decides the outcome.
No payslip
Instead of a salary statement, tax assessments, profit calculations and management accounts count. Prepared cleanly they become strong arguments — incomplete they become grounds for rejection.
Automated scoring
Many high-street banks assess by automation. Whoever does not fit the grid drops out — even when affordability is there. A specialist bank assesses individually.
Which documents really count
The more complete and clear your figures are, the more likely the approval — and the better the terms. These are the building blocks that matter:
Income-tax assessments
Usually the last two to three years. They are the anchor of the income calculation.
Cash-basis accounts or balance sheet
The profit calculation matching the assessments — for freelancers usually the cash-basis accounts (EÜR), for those who keep books the annual financial statements.
Up-to-date management accounts (BWA)
The management report shows the current year. It proves the trend is right — not just the past.
Equity & bank statements
Proof of your own funds and a clean account history. Existing commitments belong openly on the table.
How banks calculate your income
Most banks take an average of the last two to three years. The details are decisive: a falling trend is viewed more critically than a rising one. One-off special effects — a particularly strong or weak year, a large investment — can be explained and put in context, if you know which bank has an open ear for it. And it makes a difference whether you are a freelancer or run a trade, whether you work alone or lead a company.
That is exactly where our leverage lies: we know the assessment logic of the individual houses and present your figures to the bank that reads them most fairly — instead of leaving you to the chance of your own bank.
Special cases that still work
It is precisely the supposedly difficult constellations that are our daily business. A selection:
Newly self-employed
Not yet three completed years? With a clear sector outlook, prior experience from employment or strong equity, some banks finance earlier.
Freelancers
Doctors, lawyers, architects, consultants: academic liberal professions are seen by many banks as particularly sustainable — when the right bank assesses.
Shareholder-directors
Salary, profit distribution, current account: your income is composite. We present it so the bank sees the full capacity.
Fluctuating earnings
Project business, seasonality, several income types: with the right preparation and the right bank, not a knock-out criterion.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a mortgage at all as a self-employed person?
How many tax assessments do I have to submit?
I've only recently become self-employed — is it still possible?
What does your advice cost me?
Do you also provide tax advice?
Discuss your situation briefly — no obligation
Tell me about your self-employment and your plans in a free first conversation. I'll tell you honestly what is realistic and which banks fit your situation.
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