Assistance schemes, PTZ and local schemes
Homeownership assistance in the Lyon Metropolis: who provides it, and what it changes
All homeownership schemes available in the Metropolis: who provides them, what they change in the financing plan, and the conditions required in return.
In the Lyon Metropolis, three categories of homeownership assistance overlap: national schemes (zero-interest loan, social homeownership loan, Action Logement loan), those from the Metropolis (affordable homeownership, solidary real lease) and assistance from certain municipalities. Most can be combined, subject to income limits, in exchange for commitments: mandatory occupancy, regulated resale, and repayment of the assistance.
By Sandy MASCART, mandataire d'intermédiaire en opérations de banque et en services de paiement ORIAS 26000541 sous le mandat de CDV PATRIMOINE & ASSURANCE (ORIAS 14005573)
Key points
- Three categories of assistance overlap in Lyon: national schemes, those provided by the Metropolis, and assistance specific to certain municipalities.
- The social homeownership loan caps the interest rate and regulates certain ancillary costs, but it no longer entitles you to the personalised housing allowance.
- Affordable homeownership and the solidary real lease reduce the amount to be financed, in exchange for a regulated resale price and occupancy.
- The amount of the zero-interest loan depends on the other loans in the financing plan: it is calculated last, never as the first line.
- An assistance granted subject to conditions is not an assistance obtained, and its processing schedule never suspends the suspensive condition of the preliminary sale agreement.
In the Lyon metropolitan area, a first-time buyer can combine national, metropolitan and municipal aid. Here is who provides each type, what it changes in your financing plan and what you accept in return. Always rely on the dated official document.
Aid for purchasing in the Lyon metropolitan area
Three categories: national (zero-interest loan, social home purchase loan, housing action loan), metropolitan (affordable home purchase, real estate lease) and municipal.
| Scheme | Provider | Form of aid | Impact on the financing plan | The consideration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zero-interest loan | State | Interest-free loan | Replaces part of the main loan, without interest cost | Principal residence, occupancy monitored, outstanding capital repayable upon resale |
| Social home purchase loan | State, via approved banks | Main loan at a capped rate | Caps the rate of the main loan and regulates certain ancillary fees | Income limits, approved housing |
| Housing action loan | Action Logement | Supplementary loan at a reduced rate | Adds a low-cost line and raises the zero-interest loan limit | Being an employee of a contributing company, income limits |
| Affordable home purchase | Lyon metropolitan area and approved operators | Regulated sale price | Reduces the amount to be financed, not the cost of credit | Income and price limits, occupancy, anti-speculation clause upon resale |
| Real estate lease | Solidarity land organisation | Separation of land and building | You borrow only for the building, but pay a land rent | Income limits, approval of the buyer upon resale, regulated capital gain |
| Municipal aid | Municipality or inter-municipal body | Grant or loan | Strengthens the contribution or reduces the monthly instalment | Variable: duration of occupancy, income conditions, geographical scope |
National grants in Lyon
- The PTZ: Lyon is in Zone A; it finances new-build properties only, never existing properties (the PTZ in Lyon). Its amount depends on the other loans: calculate it last.
- The social home purchase loan: capped interest rate subject to income conditions, regulated fees, and a rate scale published monthly by the SGFGAS. It is not always the cheapest option, and it is rarely offered automatically: request it (PAS and conventional loan). The conventional loan also caps the interest rate, without income conditions.
- The APL accession is closed to new operations: never include it in the budget.
- The housing action loan: a complementary loan for employees of contributing companies, subject to a quota. Ask your human resources department early.
Metropolitan grants: borrowing less
- Affordable home purchase: capped price, capped income, and regulated occupancy and resale. The operator must cite the applicable resolution.
- The solidarity real lease: you purchase the dwelling, the organisation retains the land in exchange for a fee, which weighs on the debt-to-income ratio.
- The reduced VAT on new-build properties: in certain districts, subject to conditions. The developer states whether the development qualifies; the benefit is repayable if the property is resold too early.
Municipal grants: where to find them
Real but not centralised: grant, complementary zero-interest loan, or earmarked aid. They are created and exhausted from one budget to the next.
- The municipality’s housing department: it holds the resolution.
- The ADIL, which provides free information.
- The inter-municipal housing department, for a small municipality.
Ask whether the grant is funded this year. A developer’s commercial gestures (‘free’ fees, discount) are not public grants.
Combining without losing amount
Most can be combined, subject to three limits: the income ceilings of each, a single financing of one expense, and the PTZ capped relative to other loans.
- A complementary loan can increase your PTZ: submit it first (PTZ and debt-to-income ratio).
- Check each income ceiling: being eligible for the PTZ does not mean being eligible for regulated home ownership.
- A targeted grant for works removes them from other schemes (the eco-PTZ).
What you accept in exchange
Mandatory occupation, prohibition on letting, regulated resale, approved buyer, repayment in case of early exit. Ideal for long-term occupation, poorly suited to a transitional stage.
- Occupation: outside listed cases, letting results in the loss of the grant.
- Resale: your capital revalued, not a market capital gain.
- Repayment in case of early exit, sometimes increased: read the deed.
- Buy-back by the operator in case of life event: request its conditions.
The financing plan, in order
- The equity, for costs that no grant finances.
- The complementary loans (Action Logement, who is entitled).
- The PTZ, once these are known.
- The main loan, for the balance.
Different terms are smoothed into one instalment (the smoothing).
The timeline: where grants are lost
- Apply before the deed, often before the preliminary sale agreement.
- The assessment does not suspend the suspensive condition.
- Without a final written agreement, the grant is not secured.
- The payment may follow the deed by several months: complete the signature without it.
Have your grant applications arranged by telephone.
Create your file: I align the grants with the loan timeline.
Sources
Read next
- Mortgage in Lyon: one file, several banks
- PTZ 2026 in Lyon: what you can actually finance in Zone A In Lyon, the PTZ finances new-build properties, not existing ones. Retained income, basis, proportion, deferral: what you can actually finance in Zone A.
- Shared Real Lease in Lyon: How a BRS Is Financed and Which Banks Support It Buying under a BRS in Lyon, building without land: how the bank assesses the ground rent, the high-quota zero-interest loan, and the right questions.
- PSLA and shared ownership: preparing the financing for the option exercise In shared ownership, the loan is applied for when the option is exercised. What the bank reviews that day, and how to prepare your file from move-in.
- Green PTZ: Financing the energy renovation of a home in Lyon Eligible works, amounts, co-ownership, combining with the main loan and MaPrimeRénov’: financing a renovation without hurting your debt-to-income ratio.
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