From March 2027, Rabobank and its subsidiary Obvion will base maximum mortgages on expected pension income for anyone within 15 years of retirement, lowering the age from 57 to 52.
The bank says supervisors at De Nederlandsche Bank and the European Central Bank pushed for the change, and other banks are expected to follow.
Existing customers are unaffected until they move or refinance, but even someone earning 100,000 euros a year will be judged on their future pension.
Pension lawyer Theo Gommer expects the self-employed to be hit hard, as the typical entrepreneur builds up just 25,300 euros in pension and lenders value business assets less than steady income.
Martin Hagedoorn of De Hypotheekshop says banks are set up for salaried staff, not for borrowers who rely on annuities, shares or property.
Women, who more often work part-time, receive on average 36% less pension than men, according to the OECD.
Hagedoorn warns the rule could stop people over 52 from moving, while Gommer says a low expected pension could force some homeowners to sell when they refinance.
If a pension-based limit could affect your next move, talk your numbers through with an Amsterdam mortgage broker.