Mortgage arrangement and broker fees in France (2026)

The bank’s arrangement fees

What they pay for. ANIL includes among the costs linked to borrowing “the fees for opening and processing the application or for exercising an option that may be provided for in the agreement”, alongside security costs, insurance and interim interest (intérêts intercalaires). Service-public.gouv.fr includes them in the total amount to be financed, together with the borrower insurance arrangement fees.

A negotiable amount. For a standard bank loan, the official sources consulted set no amount. On the contrary, service-public.gouv.fr states that the bank may offer to have your income paid into an account with it (domiciliation) “in return for benefits (reduced arrangement fees for the loan, free bank card…)”. ABE Info Service (Banque de France) likewise mentions “arrangement fees waived” as a possible benefit.

Paying your income into the bank: what is prohibited. The bank cannot require you to have your salary paid into an account with it, nor penalise you if you choose another bank (service-public.gouv.fr). If the offer is conditional on paying your income in, in exchange for an individual benefit, it must specify the duration (10 years at most) and the nature of the benefit (ANIL). The charges for running this account, if it is needed to obtain the loan, are included in the TAEG.

Assisted loans.

Why they weigh on the TAEG

The TAEG expresses the total cost of credit as an annual rate. Under article L314-1 of the Consumer Code, the interest is increased by “fees, taxes, commissions or remuneration of any kind, direct or indirect, borne by the borrower and known to the lender on the date the offer is issued”, where they are a condition of the loan. Article R314-4 lists them (cited by the Banque de France):

1. arrangement fees;
2. fees paid or owed to intermediaries involved in granting the loan;
3. the costs of compulsory insurance and security;
4. the costs of opening and running an account;
5. the cost of valuing the property, excluding registration fees.

The consequence: the usury ceiling. The TAEG must not exceed the taux d’usure (usury rate, the legal maximum). At 1 October 2026, it is 4.09% for a fixed-rate property loan of less than 10 years, 4.68% for 10 to 20 years, 5.40% for 20 years and over, and 5.52% for a variable rate (Banque de France). High arrangement or broker fees reduce the margin below this ceiling.

Compare like with like. Service-public.gouv.fr points out that the TAEG can only be used to compare two offers if the amount borrowed is the same, since it is expressed as a percentage of that amount.

If the loan does not go ahead: assessment fees

Once you have received the offer, you can only accept it after 10 days, and the bank must keep it open for at least 30 days (Consumer Code, art. L313-34). The bank may not pay out anything before acceptance (art. L313-35).

If the sale does not go ahead, the bank may only retain or ask for assessment fees (frais d’étude), the maximum amount of which is set by a regulatory scale; this amount and its conditions must be shown separately in the offer (art. L313-38). According to ANIL, if you refuse the offer, neither the bank nor an intermediary can ask you for assessment fees.

The broker’s remuneration

Nothing before the funds are released. Article L519-6 of the Monetary and Financial Code prohibits anyone who helps to obtain a loan “from receiving any sum representing a deposit, commission, search fees, fees for steps taken, for putting together a file or for any brokerage whatsoever, before the loan funds have actually been paid out”. It is also prohibited to have you sign bills of exchange or promissory notes to guarantee this payment before the funds are handed over. The version that applies from 20 November 2026 repeats these two prohibitions word for word (Légifrance).

A cost to include in the financing plan. Service-public.gouv.fr counts the broker’s remuneration, “where applicable”, in the total amount to be financed. As fees paid to an intermediary, it is included in the TAEG (art. R314-4, 2°).

The broker’s obligations (registration with the Orias, the register of insurance, banking and finance intermediaries, and the information they must give you) are set out on our page on the courtier en crédit (mortgage broker).

Which professional to consult

The courtier en crédit (mortgage broker) negotiates arrangement fees with the banks; ask them how much their fees are and check that they ask for nothing before the funds are released. With a notaire (notary), the funds are generally released on the day the deed is signed (service-public.gouv.fr): it is from this payment onwards that the broker can be paid. For all the costs of a purchase, see also our page on the apport personnel (personal deposit).