Broker or straight to the bank? Who finds the better mortgage in 2026

A mortgage broker or adviser (hypoteční poradce) usually costs you nothing, because the bank you sign with pays their commission. A broker earns their keep mainly when your case is unusual: income from self-employment or from abroad, a foreigner without permanent residence (trvalý pobyt), an old record in a credit register, a purchase combined with renovation, or a payment close to the bank's income threshold.

An employee with straightforward income and 20 % own funds can get a similar rate alone, provided they approach at least three banks and make them compete. In October 2026 the question is far from academic. The average rate on new mortgages is 5.00 % (ČBA, August), price lists have jumped to 5.79 % (Hypoindex) and individual offers range from 4.7 to 5.8 %. A difference of 0.2 pp on a CZK 4 million mortgage over 25 years is worth about CZK 470 a month. Whether you or a broker finds it matters less than that somebody looks.

How is a mortgage broker paid in Czechia?

A broker (legally a consumer credit intermediary, zprostředkovatel spotřebitelského úvěru) gets a commission from the bank based on the loan amount, usually only after drawdown. The rate depends on the bank and on its contract with the brokerage, somewhere between a few tenths of a per cent and roughly 1 % of the loan. On a CZK 4 million mortgage that can mean tens of thousands of koruna, paid by the bank, not by you.

Two practical consequences follow:

• A broker earns only on a signed mortgage. That makes them keen to see your application through, and not at all keen to tell you to wait or rethink the purchase.
• Banks do not all pay the same. If one pays noticeably more, the broker may lean towards it, so ask to see a comparison of several banks rather than a single recommendation.

Every intermediary needs ČNB authorisation, either as an independent intermediary (samostatný zprostředkovatel) or as a tied agent (vázaný zástupce) acting for a particular firm or bank. You can look them up by name or company ID number (IČO) in the list of regulated entities on the ČNB website. Anyone not listed may not arrange mortgages.

The bank, a broker or a comparison site

A broker usually has no access to “secret” rates the bank would not give you at a branch. Their real advantage is information: which bank is accepting income taxed under the flat-rate tax (paušální daň) this month, where a probation period is tolerated, or where valuations for a particular type of property tend to come out better.

Hypoteky.com belongs in the third column, as an independent site. We do not arrange loans, do not collect contacts or pass them to banks or brokers, and carry no advertising. The calculators use real numbers: the ČBA average rate, the current ČNB repo rate of 3.75 % and the rules banks actually apply. The idea is that you arrive at a bank or a broker's office with your own calculation and can tell whether an offer makes sense.

When is a mortgage broker worth it?

A broker makes sense when:

• you are self-employed (OSVČ) or a company director (jednatel s.r.o.) and each bank calculates your income differently (from the tax return, from turnover, from a profit share);
• you are a non-EU foreigner or earn income abroad, which only some banks accept, often with a lower LTV;
• you have an older register record or are close to the usual internal DSTI threshold of 45 % (50 % under 36);
• you are financing an unusual property: a cooperative flat (družstevní byt), a plot with a building, a cottage, a house with an easement (věcné břemeno);
• you have no time to visit four banks and put together documents for each of them.

You can probably do without one if you are an employee past probation, buying an ordinary flat with LTV up to 80 % and on good terms with your bank. Get two competing offers and let your own bank see them; our article How to negotiate a lower mortgage rate describes how. Whether your case is a standard one, you can tell from the requirements in our first-time buyer guide.

What 0.2 pp on the rate is worth

So compare the total cost over the fixed period, mandatory products included, not just the rate. That means the APRC (RPSN) and the price of any insurance. The Compare two mortgages calculator puts both offers side by side.

Five signs of a conflict of interest

• Insurance presented as a condition when it is not. Risk life insurance (rizikové životní pojištění) or payment protection insurance can be sensible, but the broker often earns a further commission on it. Ask in writing whether the bank really ties the rate discount to the insurance, and by how much.
• A single offer. “This bank is the best for you” without a comparison of at least three banks is a recommendation, not advice.
• Pressure to sign the loan agreement quickly, without time to read it. The bank must give you the pre-contractual information and a contract you can go through at your own pace.
• A fee from you with no clear prior agreement on what it covers. Most brokers charge the client nothing; if yours does, it must be agreed in advance and in writing.
• An investment product “to go with the mortgage”. A savings or investment product that is supposed to “cover” the mortgage has nothing to do with it and only adds another commission.

How do you check an English-speaking mortgage broker?

Start with the ČNB's public register. Every mortgage broker in Czechia, English-speaking or not, must appear in the ČNB's list of regulated and registered financial market entities (Seznamy regulovaných a registrovaných subjektů finančního trhu, which also has an English version) as an independent intermediary or a tied agent. Search by name or IČO. If the person is not listed, do not hand over your documents.

Then get the money side in writing. Before arranging the loan, the broker must tell you which register lists them, how much commission the bank pays them on a housing loan and any fee you would pay, and you may ask what commission each of their banks pays (§ 93 of the Consumer Credit Act). Ask which banks they work with as well. Pay nothing up front: until the loan agreement is signed, a broker has no right to any payment apart from taxes, official fees and the cost of the valuation (§ 83). And a broker who charges you a fee as your agent may not also take the bank's commission on the same loan (§ 80).

Seven questions for your first meeting with a broker

1. Are you an independent intermediary or a tied agent? Which firm or bank do you represent?
2. How many banks do you work with, and which ones on the market are missing from your portfolio?
3. How and from whom do you get paid? Do I pay you anything?
4. Which three banks will you compare for me, and why those?
5. What will the payment and the total cost over the fixation be with and without insurance?
6. What happens if the valuation comes out lower than the purchase price?
7. Will you contact me before the fixation ends too, or only at signing?

A good broker answers all of them without hedging, and answers some before you ask.