Home savings loan from a home savings account (CEL)
Verified 02 February 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
Additional cases ?
Having a home savings account (CEL) can help you get a home savings loan. This loan is to be used to finance the purchase or construction of a dwelling, or work in a dwelling. The characteristics of the loan (interest rate, payment or not of a premium), depend on the date of opening of the CEL. We explain.
Home purchase savings loans can take the form of home loan or a work loan, which is a consumer credit.
The transactions you can finance with the home savings loan vary depending on the opening date of the CEL.
CEL open from 1 March 2011
Home Savings Loans may be used to perform any of the following:
- Purchase of your main residence (new or old)
- Construction of the main residence (purchase of land and construction work)
- Work to extend your main residence (for example, elevation)
- Thermal insulation work your main residence (installation of shutters, double glazing or double windows; insulation of walls, floors or ceilings under roof and facade walls; installation of joints or appliances on air vents or openings)
- Heating Improvement Works of your principal residence (installation of thermostatic taps; replacement of boilers or renewal of burners; insulation of the installation; equipment allowing measurement, regulation of heating and better distribution of costs between users of a collective heating according to the consumption of each)
- Work to make use of new technologies or energy sources in your main residence (installations using solar energy, including solar water heaters, appliances allowing the use of wood, waste or thermal discharges from other installations, digesters and gas generators, geothermal heating and connection to a heat network, heat pump type techniques, etc.)
- Financing of premises for commercial or professional use which also includes your primary residence.
The real estate concerned may be located in metropolitan France or in a Dom.
Warning
The bank may demand immediate repayment of the loan if you use it to finance a transaction that is not part of the transactions prescribed by the regulations.
CEL opened before 1 March 2011
The home purchase savings loan can be used to carry out one of the following operations:
- Purchase of your main residence (new or old)
- Construction of your main residence (purchase of land and construction work)
- Work to extend, repair, or improve your main residence (elevation, energy saving, facade renovation of a condominium building...)
- Purchase of shares of Civil Real Estate Investment business (CREIS)
- Financing a commercial or professional space that also includes your main residence
FYI
The properties concerned may be located in metropolitan France, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Reunion, Martinique and Mayotte.
Have a CEL
To get a home equity savings loan, your home savings account (CEL) shall:
- be open for at least 18 months
- and must have produced a minimum of interest, the amount of which depends on your project to be financed.
Project to be funded | Minimum amount of interest |
|---|---|
Energy saving works | €22.50 |
Repair or improvement work | €37 |
Construction or purchase of housing | €75 |
FYI
Loan entitlements may be used up to 5 years after the certificate of entitlement has been issued.
You can give in your loan entitlements a member of your family, but only if they have held a CEL that has been open for at least 18 months.
Likewise, a family member can also help you assign its rights to a loan, and you can combine them with yours to get a larger amount of borrowing.
The 18-month period may be reduced to 12 months when you use rights that have been given to you by the holder of a CEL that has been open for at least 18 months.
The same applies if you use rights from your ELP or rights from the ELP of your co-borrower spouse.
With a bank
In principle, you should apply for the loan at the bank where you have your CEL.
However, you can choose to request it from another bank.
You can consult the list of financial institutions where it is possible to apply for a home savings loan.
The procedure for granting the loan varies according to the nature of the loan requested.
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Real estate loan
Before making an offer to you for a home equity loan, the bank must comply with the following obligations:
- Inform you about the consequences of taking out a loan, including the risks of over-indebtedness
- Consult the Personal Credit Repayment Incident File (PCIF)
- Evaluate your creditworthiness. For this, it takes into account your financial situation (income, savings, expenses, debts). They must check that your debt ratio (share of all your monthly credit payments and credit insurance in your monthly income) is not higher than 35%
- Verify that the annual rate of chargeof the loan is not greater thanrate of wear.
FYI
The rate of mortgage loan wear and tear is lower than that of consumer credit.
To ensure that it will be reimbursed, the bank may require guarantees (bank guarantee or conventional mortgage or legal mortgage
The type of collateral claimed varies from bank to bank.
The bank may also require you to take a borrower insurance to protect yourself in the event that you fail to meet your commitments, for example in the event of illness or job loss.
However, the bank cannot require you to place your income in its institution.
If the bank accepts your loan request, it must send you and your possible surety a loan offer free of charge. This offer must be accompanied by the European Standardized Information Sheet (ESIS).
Ready work
Before granting you the work loan, which is a consumer credit, the bank has the obligation to perform the following operations:
- Inform you about the consequences of taking out a loan, including the risks of over-indebtedness
- Check your creditworthiness (review of your income and expenses, consult the files of the Banque de France)
- Inform you of the terms of the credit (delivery of a pre-contractual information sheet)
- Verify that the annual rate of charge of the loan is not greater than rate of wear.
FYI
The rate of consumer credit wear and tear is higher than that of home loans.
To ensure that it will be reimbursed, the bank may ask you to provide a guarantee (bank guarantee)
The bank may also require you to take a borrower insurance to protect yourself from the possibility that you will not be able to meet your commitments, for example in the event of illness or loss of employment.
If the bank accepts your loan request, it must send you a free written loan offer to you and your possible surety.
The amount of the loan depends on its duration and the interest earned during the savings phase.
Its maximum amount is €23,000.
FYI
If you have a CEL and a ELP open in the same bank, you can get a loan from your CEL and a loan from your PEL. But you can't get more than €92,000 in total.
The loan term is 2 to 15 years.
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CEL open since 2018
The interest rate of the loan depends on the period during which you have saved on your CEL:
Savings period | Loan Rate |
|---|---|
From 1er August 2025 | 2.50% |
February to July 2025 | 3% |
From February 2023 to January 31, 2025 | 3.5% |
From August 2022 to January 31, 2023 | 2.75% |
February 2022 to July 31, 2022 | 2.25% |
February 2020 to January 31, 2022 | 1.75% |
From 2018 to 31 January 2020 | 2% |
Please note
Your CEL does not qualify for the state bonus.
CEL open before 2018
The interest rate of the loan depends on the period during which you have saved on your CEL.
Savings period | Loan Rate | |
|---|---|---|
Beginning of period | Period End | |
From 16/05/1986 | As of 15/02/1994 | 4.25% |
From 16/02/1994 | As of 15/06/1998 | 3.75% |
From 16/06/1998 | As of 31/07/1999 | 3.50% |
From 1/08/1999 | As of 30/06/2000 | 3% |
From 1/07/2000 | As of 31/07/2003 | 3.5% |
From 1/08/2003 | As of 31/07/2005 | 3% |
From 1/08/2005 | As of 31/01/2006 | 2.75% |
From 1/02/2006 | As of 31/07/2006 | 3% |
From 1/08/2006 | As of 31/07/2007 | 3.25% |
From 1/08/2007 | As of 31/01/2008 | 3.50% |
From 1/02/2008 | As of 31/07/2008 | 3.75% |
From 1/08/2008 | As of 31/01/2009 | 4.25% |
From 1/02/2009 | As of 30/04/2009 | 3.25% |
From 1/05/2009 | As of 31/07/2009 | 2.75% |
From 1/08/2009 | As of 31/07/2010 | 2.25% |
From 1/08/2010 | As of 31/07/2011 | 2.75% |
From 1/08/2011 | As of 31/07/2013 | 3% |
From 1/02/2013 | As of 31/07/2013 | 2.75% |
From 1/08/2013 | As of 31/07/2015 | 2.25% |
From 1/08/2015 | As of 31/01/2020 | 2% |
You can benefit from a state bonus granted at the end of the savings period. The premium is equal to 50% interest acquired on or after 16 June 1988, but not exceeding €1,144. It is taken into account in the calculation of the loan.
FYI
This premium is exempt from income tax but is subject to to social security contributions.
For repay your loan early, in whole or in part, you must report it to your bank.
But the bank can charge you penalties under the contract.
Who can help me?
Find who can answer your questions in your region
Allocation of loans
Savings premium
Repair and improvement work
Service Public
Banque de France
National Institute of Consumer Affairs (INC)
Legifrance
Business for the management of financing and the guarantee of social home ownership (SGFGAS)
