A €40,000 contribution is a strong argument when facing a banker. You just need to be able to explain where it comes from. Savings that have grown month after month on a passbook pose no question. A transfer of €30,000 that landed last month without explanation, yes.
Experts at Pretto, a mortgage broker that works with 125 partner banks, regularly observe this: solid files can be slowed down by ill-documented funds. Rarely due to the amount. Almost always due to a missing document on the origin of the funds.
Passbooks, life insurance, PEA, donation, family loan, employee savings, crypto: here is what the bank accepts as the source of the deposit, what it asks for each, and the situations that risk delaying your file by several weeks.
1. For the bank, a deposit is first judged by its origin
The deposit mainly serves to cover the fees that the loan does not finance, with notary and guarantee costs at the forefront. But the banker reads something else into it: how you manage your money. Savings built up over several years reassure much more than a lump sum appearing suddenly, even if the amount is the same.
There is also a legal constraint. Banks are subject to anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing obligations (AML-CTF): they must verify the origin of any substantial funds entering an operation (Monetary Code, articles L561-1 and following). This isn’t mistrust of you; it’s an obligation that weighs on them.
However, the deposit does not change the 35% rule. Since 2022, the High Council for Financial Stability (HCSF) caps the debt-to-income ratio—the portion of your income dedicated to loan repayments—at 35%, including insurance. A large deposit reduces the amount borrowed, hence the monthly payment, but it does not allow you to exceed this ceiling.
2. Savings and investments, the sources that pass without discussion
This is the simplest case: the money is in your name, its history visible on your statements. The bank generally asks for the latest statements from each account.
- Regulated savings accounts and PEL: Livret A, LDDS, LEP, PEL. Available immediately (except the PEL, whose withdrawal results in closure), and viewed very positively.
- Life insurance: partial or total surrender is accepted without difficulty. Anticipate the delay: the insurer has up to two months to pay out the funds (Insurance Code, article L132-21).
- PEA: accepted, but a withdrawal before five years typically results in the account closure and loss of tax advantages. A point to weigh before selling.
- Securities account: accepted once the titles are sold and the funds transferred to your current account. The transaction note serves as proof.
- Sale of real estate: the sale price, net of the remaining mortgage, becomes your deposit. If the sale is not yet signed, the bank may offer a bridging loan.
Putting everything into the deposit is not always the best strategy. A residual savings—what remains after the purchase—also factors into the bank’s decision. A file with a 10% deposit and intact emergency savings may be better received than a file that has emptied all its accounts.
3. Donation, family loan, inheritance: accepted, provided everything is documented
The help from relatives finances a large part of the initial purchases. The bank gladly accepts it but wants a written trace, and the nature of the help changes how the file is read.
| Source | Expected documentation | Points of vigilance |
| Cash gift (sum of money) | Form 2735 filed with the tax authorities, or notarial deed | Exemption up to €31,865 per donor under 80 years old, in addition to the €100,000 allowance per parent and per child every 15 years (French CGI, articles 790 G and 779) |
| Family donation for a new home | Declaration of the gift and proof of the allocation of funds | Exemption up to €100,000 per donor (€300,000 per beneficiary) for gifts made until December 31, 2026. Funds must be used within six months, for new construction or energy renovation, not for existing housing (CGI, article 790 A bis) |
| Family loan | Debt acknowledgement, and Form 2062 for loans over €5,000 | Repayments may be included in the debt-to-income calculation |
| Inheritance | Notarial certificate from the executor of the estate | Settlement delays can push back the signing |
The family loan deserves a pause. For you, it’s money from the family. For the bank, it’s another debt. If the debt acknowledgment provides monthly payments, they are added to the mortgage payments and weigh on the 35%. Plan for deferred repayment, or convert part of the loan into a donation, and it often changes the game.
4. Employee savings, PER, stock options: unlocking at the right moment
This is often the hidden deposit of executives. Amounts blocked for years that can, in some cases, be used for buying your principal residence.
The employee savings plan (PEE) can be unlocked early to buy your main residence. The request is made to the manager within six months of purchase, with the deed or compromis in support. Capital gains remain exempt from income tax; only social security contributions are due.
The retirement savings plan (PER) can also be unlocked for the primary residence, never for a rental investment. Beware of tax implications: the contributions you deducted from your income are added back to your tax in the year of withdrawal.
For stock options and free shares, the bank only considers funds that are sold and transferred. An unliquidated portfolio does not count as a deposit, even if it reassures about your wealth.
In all these cases, timing matters. The funds must be available before signing with the notary, and the bank wants to know, from the outset, where they will come from.
5. Crypto, funds from abroad, large recent transfers: where files get stuck
These sources are not prohibited. They simply require more evidence, and that is where the delays lengthen.
For a deposit coming from cryptocurrencies, the bank wants to trace the entire path: original purchases, platform used, conversion to euros, transfer to your account. Accounts opened on a foreign platform must also have been declared to the tax authorities (form 3916-bis). Depending on the banks, reception ranges from unconditional acceptance to outright refusal.
Funds coming from abroad and large transfers without explanation follow the same logic: without a clear justification, the bank blocks. It is better to prepare a complete history before even the first appointment.
Last case: the PTZ (zero-interest loan) or the Housing Action loan. These are not deposits; they are loans. Some banks still consider them as a quasi-deposit that strengthens the file. It again depends on the policy of each institution.
Conclusion
The bank accepts almost all deposit sources. What it refuses is a deposit for which it does not see the history. Even before looking for a property, gather the statements, deeds and declarations that tell the origin of every euro. The day the file goes to the bank, that is several weeks gained… and sometimes a better rate on the line.
All our information is, by nature, generic. It does not take into account your personal situation and does not in any way constitute personalized recommendations for the execution of transactions, and cannot be equated with financial investment advice, nor with any encouragement to buy or sell financial instruments. The reader is solely responsible for using the information provided, with no recourse against Cafedelabourse.com’s publishing company. The publishing company’s liability can in no case be engaged in the event of error, omission, or ill-timed investment.
