Yes. Buyers living abroad can finance an apartment in Lyon with a French mortgage, commonly at 70–80% for strong files from the UK, Ireland, the EU or Switzerland and 50–70% for residents elsewhere. Most purchases here are homes to move into or flats to let, not holiday homes. If you plan to let, rent control caps the rent the bank can count, and short lets of a second home need an authorisation that generally requires compensation.
What a mortgage in Lyon usually finances
A mortgage in Lyon for a non-resident usually finances one of three things: a home for a planned move to the city, a flat for a child studying there, or an apartment to let. The PAP price observatory put the average at €4,509 per m² in September 2026, from €3,756 in the 9th arrondissement to €5,495 in the 6th, with the 2nd, on the Presqu'île, at €5,073.
At these prices, most loans sit comfortably above banks' minimums for non-residents, commonly €100,000–250,000. The Lyon market is deep, so a valuer can compare your price with many recent sales in the same arrondissement.
Canut flats, mezzanines and the Carrez area
On the slopes of the Croix-Rousse, many apartments are former silk workers' workshops, known as canut flats, with very high ceilings and often a mezzanine. The private floor area stated in the sale, measured under the loi Carrez, leaves out any part with less than 1.80 m of headroom, so a mezzanine may add little to it.
Valuers commonly price Lyon flats on the Carrez area. If the asking price reflects the total usable space including the mezzanine, the bank's valuation can come in below it, and the difference comes from your deposit. Ask for the Carrez measurement before you make an offer.
Rent control in Lyon and Villeurbanne
Since 1 November 2021, rents on new leases in Lyon and Villeurbanne must stay within a capped reference rent per m², set by the prefect according to the district, the number of rooms, the age of the building and whether the flat is furnished. The cap covers both unfurnished and furnished long-term lets.
Banks count rent they can verify, commonly at around 70%, and a projection above the cap will not help. The national experiment that allows rent control was due to end in November 2026, and in October 2026 Parliament was examining a two-year extension. Lenders assume the cap stays in place. Our guide to buy-to-let mortgages explains how rental income is assessed.
Short lets need authorisation and compensation
Letting a second home in Lyon to tourists needs a change-of-use authorisation from the city. It generally comes with compensation: turning a commercial space, such as an office or shop, into a home of equivalent size in the same arrondissement. The rules are stricter in the hypercentre, the historic core, where compensation must be found within the same perimeter, and every listing must show a registration number.
The city says the aim is to stop investors taking homes off the long-term market. For a buyer from abroad, the safer plan is a long-term lease, which a bank can count.
Second-home tax, or none if you let
Lyon applies the maximum 60% surcharge on the council tax for second homes, on the city's share of the tax. The surcharge falls on a flat you keep for your own use. If the flat is let on a long-term lease as the tenant's main home, you pay no council tax on it, since the tax on main residences has been abolished. The property tax is due either way, and so are co-ownership charges, which in older Lyon buildings can include voted works on facades, roofs and stairwells. Ask for the minutes of recent general meetings before you sign.
An English-speaking mortgage broker for Lyon
In the eligibility check, tell us whether you are moving, buying for a student or buying to let, and we will introduce you to one English-speaking broker who places files in Lyon. Matching is free. French Notaires in Lyon can connect you with an English-speaking notaire. For other cities and regions, see our guides by region, and test repayments with the mortgage calculator.
Your purchase deed is signed before a notaire. French Notaires matches English speakers with a bilingual notaire nearby, free of charge: Notaires in Lyon.
Questions
Can a non-resident get a mortgage to buy an apartment in Lyon?
Yes. French banks commonly lend 70–80% of the price to strong files from the UK, Ireland, the EU or Switzerland and 50–70% to residents elsewhere, with purchase costs of 7–8.5% from your own funds.
Does rent control in Lyon affect how much I can borrow?
It caps the rent you can charge on a long-term let, and banks count only verifiable rent within that cap, commonly at around 70%. A projection above the cap will not raise what you can borrow.
Can I let my Lyon flat on Airbnb as a second home?
Only with a change-of-use authorisation from the city, which generally requires compensation by converting a commercial space into housing in the same arrondissement.
What is a canut apartment?
It is a former silk workers' workshop flat, mostly on the Croix-Rousse, with very high ceilings and often a mezzanine. Parts under 1.80 m of headroom are left out of the Carrez area that valuers rely on.