Updated October 2026. What changed this year: the government announced on 19 October that Wekerle Plusz will replace the Otthon Start loan, with tighter rules and a higher rate on used homes. Nothing is law yet, and I will update this page when the decree lands.
A friend of mine took out an Otthon Start loan, and the bad blood afterwards lasted longer than the paperwork. Wekerle Plusz vs Otthon Start in one breath: the new loan, announced on 19 October 2026, stops at age 41, demands five years of living in the home and charges 5% on used homes instead of 3%. It is not law yet. Too many buyers used the cheap loan for second homes, prices climbed, and the new loan exists to stop that. I have used neither, and an afternoon of digging turned up no start date.
I have bought homes in Budapest and the Balaton Highlands, and I have covered Otthon Start since it launched in July 2025. I checked every figure on 23 October 2026 against Portfolio, money.hu and the government’s budget pages on kormany.hu.
Wekerle Plusz vs Otthon Start, Side by Side
In the Wekerle Plusz vs Otthon Start comparison, the new loan is stricter on age, occupancy and used-home pricing, and the same on new-builds. Prime Minister Magyar Péter outlined it in Parliament on 19 October, and the table shows what outlets have reported since. Anything marked “not announced” has no public answer yet.
| Otthon Start (current) | Wekerle Plusz (announced) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 18 or over, no upper limit | 18 to 41 (exact cut-off day unconfirmed) |
| Fixed rate, new-build | 3% | 3% |
| Fixed rate, used home | 3% | 5% |
| Occupancy duty | None reported | 5 years |
| Ownership test | Under 50% of a property; one spouse could pass | Applicant and spouse each under 50% |
| Marriage or children | Not required | Not required |
| Social security record | 2 years in Hungary | Likely stays; 180 days in Hungary reported |
| Maximum loan | 50 million HUF | Not announced |
| Existing contracts | n/a | Stay valid |
| Start date | In force | Not announced |
Sources: Portfolio, 19 and 20 October 2026; money.hu, 19 October 2026; my own Otthon Start guide, 2025.
Same loan, same city, different rate: new-builds keep 3%, used flats pay 5%.
Why the Government Pulled the Plug
The government retired Otthon Start because it says the scheme missed its target. The prime minister said Otthon Start had good goals and poor execution. Magyar claimed that 59% of its loans went to the wealthiest tenth of borrowers. He also said some buyers used the subsidy to collect several investment flats.
That explains the Wekerle Plusz vs Otthon Start differences you see in the table. The 50% ownership test now covers both spouses, and the government says it will check it strictly. The occupancy duty and the age cap aim at the same target: fewer investors, more first-time home buyers.
What 5% Costs You on a Used Home
On a used home, 5% instead of 3% adds roughly 55,000 HUF a month on a 50 million HUF, 25-year loan. That is more than 16 million HUF extra over the full term. The rate gap looks small on paper and large on a bank statement.
Money.hu ran that example. Portfolio ran a smaller one: a 35 million HUF used-home loan costs about 37,000 HUF more each month. I checked both with a standard annuity formula, and they hold up. New-builds keep the 3% rate, so the gap nudges buyers toward new homes. For comparison, Portfolio puts market mortgages at about 6% to 7%, so 5% still undercuts the banks.
The Five-Year Rule and the 50% Test
Wekerle Plusz asks you to live in the property for at least five years. Money.hu says Otthon Start asked for no such thing. If your plans include a posting abroad in year three, read that clause twice before you sign.
The ownership test also tightens. Neither you nor your spouse may hold 50% or more of another property. Do you own a share of a family flat? Ask your bank how it counts before you apply. The reports do not say.
Three Things Nobody Has Announced Yet
I read two reports and the government’s own pages looking for the details a buyer needs. Three gaps in the Wekerle Plusz vs Otthon Start picture stand out.
The start date
Market sources expect a launch around 1 January 2027, with Otthon Start winding down toward late December. Nobody has confirmed it. Nobody has said whether the cut-off counts your application date or your contract date, and that detail decides who gets the old terms.
The loan cap and price limits
Otthon Start allows up to 50 million HUF. It also caps apartments at 100 million HUF and houses at 150 million HUF, with a limit of 1.5 million HUF per square metre. Reports disagree on whether those limits survive. The government has not said.
Who counts as eligible
Neither report mentions citizenship or residency. Otthon Start did not limit itself to Hungarian citizens, but it required two years of social security contributions, and banks wanted secure residence status. Portfolio expects a similar social security test to stay. Whether Wekerle Plusz treats non-citizens the same way is unknown. Property lawyer Dr Tünde Harron is the person I would ask. For my wider take on buying as a foreigner, read my guide to foreign buyers in Hungary.
The Other Two Pillars: Savings and Renovation
Wekerle Plusz is a package, not only a mortgage, so the Wekerle Plusz vs Otthon Start choice sits alongside two other schemes. The government announced two more pieces on the same day.
Building society savings (lakástakarék). State support returns after ending in 2018. The state would add 10% of your contributions in years one to five, and 20% from year six. The old scheme paid 30%, so this one is more modest. The annual cap is unknown.
Energy renovation. The loan limit rises from 6 million to 15 million HUF at a fixed 3%. A grant covers 30% to 50% of costs, capped at 7.5 million HUF, if the work saves at least 30% of the home’s energy. The 50% rate goes to the worst-rated buildings and 30% to medium-rated ones. Single applicants qualify, and so do owners in Budapest. Money.hu says it could start in 2027, and nobody has named the body that will run it.
Other housing schemes, including CSOK Plusz and Babaváró, keep their current rules. The 5% VAT on new homes also stays.
Should You Rush? A Cautious Take
If you already hold a signed Otthon Start contract, nothing changes, because the government says existing contracts stay valid. If you are mid-process, Portfolio warns of a rush before year end, and the timing rules are unclear.
I cannot give you financial advice, and a news report is not a lending decision. Before you sign anything, ask your bank and a property lawyer three questions. Which date counts, application or contract? Does my situation pass the new ownership test? Do I qualify as a non-citizen? Written answers beat verbal ones.
The wider market matters too. Prices fell for the first time in early 2026 after the Otthon Start boom, so a rushed signature could cost more than a short wait. My post on Hungary house prices falling covers that side.
Your Questions, Answered
Is Wekerle Plusz law yet? No. The prime minister announced it on 19 October 2026 alongside the 2027 budget. It still needs budget approval, a government decree and coordination with the banks.
Does Otthon Start end immediately? Not as far as anyone has reported. Contracts already signed stay in force unchanged. The government is phasing the scheme out, and market sources expect Wekerle Plusz to take over around 1 January 2027, but no official end date exists.
Can foreigners use Wekerle Plusz? Unknown. The reports I read, from Portfolio and money.hu, do not mention citizenship or residency requirements. Otthon Start did not limit itself to citizens, but it needed two years of Hungarian social security contributions.
What interest rate will used homes get? The announced rate is a fixed 5% for used homes, up from 3% under Otthon Start. New-builds and construction stay at a fixed 3%. Portfolio puts current market mortgages at about 6% to 7%, so 5% still undercuts them.
Is the five-year occupancy rule strict? The government says it will check the new conditions strictly, but it has not published enforcement details. The announced duty is to live in the property for at least five years. It aims to stop investors from using the subsidy.
Related Reads and Official Sources
- First Time Buyers in Hungary: The Otthon Start Revolution: how the current loan works, the baseline for this comparison.
- Hungary House Prices Fall for the First Time: what the cooling market means for buyers.
- Foreign Buyers in Hungary: Who’s Buying What in 2025?: the rules and realities for non-citizens.
- Official: Hungarian government, 2027 budget announcement (kormany.hu).
Before the Clocks Go Back
The clocks go back on Sunday, and the light over the Balaton turns short and gold. It is a good week to sit down with a calculator and a coffee instead of a rushed signature. I will track Wekerle Plusz vs Otthon Start until the decree lands, and I will update this page the day it does. That is a promise to you and to my own spreadsheet. If you want the whole picture of buying and living here, my 374-page ebook walks through the bureaucracy in order, and you can find it on howtohungary.com.
Your month in Hungary, in one email.
The posts, events and rule changes you shouldn’t miss, plus my family’s stories. Written by me, monthly, around the 15th.
Anikó Woods is a Canadian-Hungarian writer, technology specialist, and digital strategist who swapped Toronto traffic for Hungarian bureaucracy. She’s the creator of HOW TO HUNGARY: Budapest & Beyond. Since moving to Hungary in 2017, she’s been deep in the paperwork trenches – fact-checking, interviewing experts, and helping others make sense of the madness. Her writing turns chaos into clarity, with a few laughs (and wine recommendations) along the way.
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