Family spending institute Nibud is recommending that double income households be allowed to borrow more for a mortgage than they currently are.

At the moment, banks only take 70% of the second salary into account when assessing how much couples can borrow but this should be put up to 80% next year, Nibud says in a new report.

Nibud is also recommending banks give buyers a higher mortgage if they opt for an extremely energy efficient property or pledge to take measures to boost the energy efficiency of a new home.