Azerbaijan, Baku, March 6 / Trend U.Ismayilova /
The maximum amount of a mortgage loan in Azerbaijan should be increased to at least 70,000 manat from the current 50,000 manat, MBA Group CEO Nusret Ibrahimov said.
"The maximum amount of mortgage loan should be equal to the average cost of housing in the market, which is now set at 72,000 manat," Ibrahimov said.
Ibraghimov said the maximum amount of mortgage at 50,000 manat stimulates purchase of only relatively cheap apartments, which are already outdated and not entirely safe for habitation from a physical point of view, This applies to the Khrushchev, Italian, French and other projects that do not meet today's requirements, and even not excluded that they will be demolished in the next 5-10 years because of the risks.
He said that category of people for whom the mortgage loan was designed face some challenges, one of which is a high level of initial payment. According to the terms of commercial mortgages, provided through the Azerbaijan Mortgage Fund (AMF) operating under the CBA, the payment is set at 20 percent, but authorized banks issue loans at the payment of 30 percent.
Another problem, Ibrahimov said, is non-transparency of some of the authorized banks.
Mortgage loans worth 8.8 million manat were issued through the AMF. Total amount of refinancing loans issued by banks earlier amounted to 11 million manat. Some 0.8 million manat of 14 million manat envisaged in the 2011 state budget for financing the social mortgage has been issued since early 2011.
Some 72 percent of total loans (41 percent of borrowers were aged 18-29, 31 percent were aged 30-35) fall to young people and young families. Some 28 per cent of loans fall to borrowers over 36 years-old.
Under the AMF's terms, the maximum amount of the issuance of conventional mortgages in Azerbaijan is 50,000 manat at a rate of eight percent and for 25 years. But the amount in the social mortgage is 35,000 manat, at an annual rate of four percent and the term - 30 years.
Initial fee for the ordinary and concessional loans is 15 percent.
Conditions of the mortgage lending are as the following: loans must be issues in the national currency with manats and only to Azerbaijani citizens, and an object of the mortgage can only be an apartment or private houses, volume of the mortgage lending must not exceed 85 percent of the market price, monthly payment for a loan must not exceed 70 percent of debtor's monthly income, as well as presence of an agreement on life insurance and others.
Preferable conditions are granted to members of families of war victims, families of national heroes, internally displaced persons, civil servants with at least a three-year experience, candidates PhD and PhD, persons making special contributions to sport, as well as militaries with at least a three-year service term.
Each family having the right to a lax mortgage loan can use this chance only for one time.