What income do I need for a BDH loan, and what if I earn less than USD 2,500?

Also asked as: “What is the minimum income for a BDH housing loan?” · “Can I get a Banque de l'Habitat loan on a low salary?” · “BDH loan income requirement 2026” · “Does my wife's salary count for a BDH loan?”

What the USD 2,500 to 5,000 band means#

Banque de l'Habitat (BDH) ties its income band to its top loan of USD 100,000, and it looks at the net monthly income of the whole family^[1,2,3]. The smallest purchase loan it lists is USD 20,000^[1,2]. BDH does not say what a family earning under USD 2,500 can borrow. An-Nahar wrote on 23 September 2026 that the amount actually available depends on the borrower's situation and the eligibility rules, and Beirut.com noted in June 2025 that the USD 2,500 floor excludes many Lebanese.

The band has an upper end too, USD 5,000^[1,2,3]. BDH's page does not say what happens to a family earning more. If that is you, ask BDH before you apply. The other conditions are in the BDH loan conditions for 2026.

The repayment limits#

Whatever you earn, the monthly instalment may not pass 33% of your net income, and all your monthly obligations together may not pass 45% of household net income^[1,2]. A car loan or any other instalment you already pay counts toward the 45%.

Our own arithmetic, not a BDH figure: 33% of USD 2,500 is USD 825. In BDH's February 2026 worked example, a USD 100,000 loan over 20 years at 6% came to USD 724 a month (USD 785 if the rate rises 1 point)^[2], plus a USD 6 management fee and USD 13 life insurance a month. BDH cut the rate to 5.75% on 1 July 2026, and its page says that rate is subject to amendment^[1,5,6]. It has not published a worked example at 5.75%. More in the monthly payment on a BDH loan.

Proving your income, in Lebanon or from abroad#

BDH lends to residents and to Lebanese living abroad^[1,2,3]. It asks for employment certificate and fresh-USD bank statements, or other proof of income^[1,2], and for non-residents it counts the rent you pay where you live among your charges. A high rent abroad can therefore leave less room under the limits, so ask BDH how it counts yours.

BDH does not say which foreign payslips or bank statements it accepts, or whether foreign documents must be legalised^[1,2]. Ask before you gather papers abroad. Other questions for buyers abroad are in BDH loans for Lebanese abroad.

If you earn less: what else exists#

The USD renovation loan has the opposite income rule. It is for families earning income at most USD 2,000 a month^[4], and you must own at least 1,800 of the 2,400 shares of the home being renovated. It lends up to USD 50,000 over 7 to 10 years. The LBP renovation loan lends up to LBP 2 billion at 7%^[7,8], for families with net monthly income of LBP 50 million to 200 million. It was funded in August 2025, and nobody has said whether money remains^[8,9]. Neither loan buys a home. Details in BDH loans to renovate or build.

As of autumn 2026, the press reported that commercial banks were still not writing home mortgages^[5,10]. As of September 2026, the Public Corporation for Housing (PCH) had asked for USD 100 million in the draft 2027 budget for loans at 3.5%. That is a request, not an approved programme^[5]. See whether to wait for a PCH loan.