Equity release is a way to access some of the tax-free funds locked in your property. It is available to UK homeowners aged 55 or over and with a property worth at least £70,000.
There are two types of equity release; lifetime mortgages or home reversions. Find out more about the benefits and drawbacks of both types of equity release below:
Your specialist equity release adviser will explain:
Your equity release adviser will also outline the following important things to think about:
Your specialist equity release adviser will explain:
Your equity release adviser will also outline the following important things to think about:
Simply put, the equity you have in your home is the difference between the current market value of your property and the total sum of debts secured against it. The debts are typically any existing mortgage or secured loans.
There are a number of factors that dictate how much you may be able to release, such as the value of your property, your age and your health & lifestyle choices. By using our free equity release calculator, we’ll be able to give you a guide to the funds you may be able to release.
Our calculator uses two main factors to determine how much could be available to you:
Your property value: The higher the value, the higher the calculation could potentially be. The minimum property value to be eligible for equity release is £70,000.
The age of the youngest applicant: If you’re applying as a couple, the amount of equity you can release will be calculated on the youngest applicant. To qualify, both of you must be aged 55 or over.
Once you’ve calculated how much you may be able to release, our expert advisers will be able to discuss your options with you.
If you want to know more about the eligibility criteria, our team of experts are always on hand. Should you wish to book an appointment, they’ll be able to arrange a time for you to speak to an equity release adviser who will chat you through the options that are available and also discuss the other later life lending options that are available.
We specialise in offering reliable, honest equity release advice and we compare plans from across the market. If you want to find out whether it could be the right choice for you, get in touch today for a free, no-obligation consultation.
We'll always tell you if equity release isn't right for you, and we offer a full range of later life options, so we can see if there is another product more suitable for your needs. Phone The Equity Release Experts on 0800 188 4812 or ask us to call you back.
Unless you decide to go ahead, our service is completely free of charge as our fixed advice fee of £1,799 is only payable on completion of a plan.
Unless you choose to do so, there are no repayments to make on a lifetime mortgage until the plan comes to an end. As a result, you pay interest not only on the loan itself, but also on the interest already added to the loan - this is known as compound interest.
With a lifetime mortgage the loan, plus compound interest, is typically repaid through the sale of the property when the last remaining applicant passes away or moves into long-term care. (Not applicable for home reversion plans).
More on compound interest
You could potentially save thousands over the course of your plan with a drawdown lifetime mortgage. This is because you only pay interest on the funds you release.
With a drawdown lifetime mortgage, you only take out the money when you need it. This can help reduce your total cost of borrowing, as interest is only charged on the money you release, rather than the full amount available. You could also reduce the cost of borrowing on a lifetime mortgage by:
Making repayments: You have the option to make ad-hoc or regular repayments, subject to criteria, to help reduce your total cost of borrowing. Even if you can only make small repayments, it will help reduce the amount of interest you pay over the lifetime of your loan.
Remortgage to another equity release plan in the future: If interest rates reduce in the future, you may have the option to remortgage your current plan to secure a lower rate. Getting a lower rate isn't guaranteed and you may need to consider early repayment charges if you choose to remortgage.
Future drawdowns are subject to the prevailing interest rate at the time and are not guaranteed.
More on lump sum vs drawdown lifetime mortgage
If you’re wondering “can you pay off equity release early?”, you can, however, with a lifetime mortgage, you’ll need to be mindful of early repayment charges. Your adviser will make you aware of any early repayment charges included in your plan.
To repay a home reversion you need to buy back the percentage of the property you originally sold to the provider, however, this will be at the full market price.