Yes. Buyers living abroad can finance a chalet or ski apartment in the French Alps on the same terms as elsewhere in France: 70–80% for strong files from the UK, Ireland, the EU or Switzerland, and 50–70% for residents elsewhere. Banks look harder at mountain property than at a city flat. Winter access, the age of resort buildings and how far the price depends on ski-season letting all count, and apartments in leisure residences sold with a commercial lease to an operator are harder to finance.
Buying a chalet in the French Alps with a mortgage
You can buy a chalet in the French Alps with a mortgage while living abroad, and many buyers here come from the UK and Switzerland. Swiss residents are assessed like EU residents, though a bank converts franc income cautiously, as it would any foreign currency.
Lenders tend to be most at ease with homes in established resorts and valley towns, from Chamonix and Megève to the Tarentaise, where property changes hands all year. A chalet on an isolated slope, or a flat in a small resort with a short season, is harder to resell, and some banks will lend less on it or decline it.
Leisure residences with a commercial lease
Some resort apartments are sold inside a résidence de tourisme, with a commercial lease (bail commercial) to an operator who lets the flat and pays you rent. Your own use is limited to the weeks the lease allows, and the value depends on the operator and on a narrow resale market.
Many banks avoid these, and those that lend often ask for a larger deposit. Read the lease before you make an offer, including its length and what happens when it ends.
Winter access and older resort buildings
Valuers look at how a property is reached in winter. A chalet up a private track that nobody clears is harder to sell, and the bank prices that in.
Many resort apartment blocks are several decades old and face co-ownership works on roofs, lifts or insulation. The minutes of recent general meetings show what has been voted, and the energy rating in the diagnostics pack hints at what may follow. For an old chalet needing work, have the works quoted so they can go into the loan plan.
Ski-season rent and the bank's figures
Winter lets bring in rent over a few months, and banks treat it as seasonal and variable. They count rent they can verify, often at around 70%, and short-term holiday income is often discounted or ignored. A record of past bookings on the property helps more than a projection.
The Le Meur law of 19 November 2024 also gave communes more power to restrict furnished tourist lets. Check the commune's rules before you build ski-season income into your plans.
Next steps for an Alpine purchase
Have your financing reviewed before you travel to view. The eligibility check puts you in touch with one broker used to Alpine files, at no cost to you. Ask for a loan condition of at least 60 days in the compromis, since you are buying from abroad. French Notaires can introduce you to an English-speaking notaire in Chamonix, and the mortgage calculator lets you test repayments in euros.
Your purchase deed is signed before a notaire. French Notaires matches English speakers with a bilingual notaire nearby, free of charge: Notaires in Chamonix.
Questions
Can I get a mortgage on a ski apartment in a leisure residence?
Sometimes, from a smaller group of lenders. Apartments sold with a commercial lease to an operator are harder to finance because your use is limited and resale depends on the operator, so expect a larger deposit.
Can Swiss residents borrow in euros to buy in the French Alps?
Yes. Swiss residents are commonly offered 70–80% financing on strong files. The loan is in euros, so banks convert franc income cautiously and may ask for savings held with them.
Will the bank count winter rental income?
Only rent it can verify, often around 70% of it, and short-term holiday income is often discounted or ignored. Plan the loan so that your own income covers the repayments.