When you run out of cash in Monopoly, you might think to loan money from the bank or from another player. But is that allowed in the Monopoly rules? Well, it can be, sometimes.
In this guide, I’ll explain the Monopoly loan rules, showing you what options you have to raise some extra funds.
Can you borrow money from the bank in Monopoly?
- You can’t take an actual loan from the bank in Monopoly
- You can’t borrow money from other players in Monopoly
- The only permitted ‘loan’ is where you mortgage a property
What happens if you can’t afford rent in Monopoly?
In Monopoly, if you can’t afford rent, you have the following options:
- Sell any hotels or houses back to the bank for half of what you paid for them
- Sell properties to another player for a price you both agree on
- Mortgage properties and receive half of their value from the bank
- Declare yourself bankrupt and be out of the game
Now you may be wondering – Can you get a loan in Monopoly?
The answer is yes, but it’s not called a loan.
In Monopoly, you can take a loan from the bank by mortgaging property. You turn the title deed card over to the red side and the bank will loan you the mortgage value printed on the back.
If you have enough cash later, you can repay the loan by unmortgaging your property, or you can choose to keep it mortgaged.
You’ll find a full explanation of how mortgages work in this guide: Monopoly Mortgage Rules.
How do loans work in Monopoly?
In Monopoly, you can bottom money from the bank. This cash is secured against properties that you own – it’s a mortgage.
When you mortgage a property, the bank will give you half of its value. You must turn over the title deed card to show that the property is mortgaged. If another player lands on your property, they won’t need to pay anything.
You can mortgage as many of your properties as you like. But, if you mortgage most or all of them, you may find it very difficult to generate income. So the loan is best used as a temporary solution to your cash flow problems.
When you pay back the loan, the property will become active again. But, you’ll have to pay 10% interest.
There are more details on that here: Monopoly Mortgage Rules – A Simple Explanation.
Can you borrow money from another player?
In Monopoly, you cannot borrow money from other players. This is strictly against the rules. For a game of Monopoly to end, players must go bankrupt. So by lending money, all you’re doing is creating a game that can never end.
You don’t want your Monopoly game to drag on for days, do you? A game should only last about an hour, but by lending money and breaking these other rules, people often find that the game can last much longer.
If you need to borrow money for rent, you’ll need an alternative plan.
What if you don’t want to borrow from the bank?
Selling property and Get Out Of Jail Free Cards (but not houses or hotels) to other players is one way that you could raise cash. But, if other players can see that you’re almost broke, then it would be wise of them not to help you out by trading with you.
When all else fails, if you run out of cash and cannot pay rent or fines, you’ll have to declare bankruptcy.
To figure out what happens to the cash and assets that you do have, check out this guide: What Happens When You Run Out of Money in Monopoly.
The Bottom Line
If you need to borrow money in Monopoly, the only way to do it is by mortgaging property. You can pay back the loan when you unmortgage, but there’s no time limit and you don’t have to ever pay it back if you don’t want to.
You should never borrow money from another player, write IOUs or offer immunity from rent in exchange for a loan of cash, as these are all against the rules and will make the game drag on with no conclusion.
So if you owe rent you can’t pay, you’ll need an alternative option.
