Equity Release Retirement Mortgage

Mortgages options for people over-55

Releasing Equity from Your House

People are living longer, working to a greater retirement age, and many either have unsettled mortgages or perhaps children they want to help financially. Many lenders now have policies and products to help our ageing borrower population. It is an area we at House and Holiday Home Mortgages have the expertise in, in order to help older borrowers.

OVER 55 MORTGAGE (otherwise known as a RETIREMENT MORTGAGE)

This is a plan where a lender is prepared to offer a repayment or sometimes interest-only mortgage, to customers based on their income (depending on how long they can reasonably do their work) or their pension income. The loan is based on affordability and the term could be to age 85 or even greater. Interest only lending will mean a suitable way of repaying the loan, sometimes downsizing will need to be documented and agreed.

Hayley Clifton

12:34 22 Dec 22

Mark at HHH has helped me with a number of mortgages now, both when I’ve been moving home and when I’ve needed to remortgage. Every time he’s been a pleasure to work with, and I’ve felt that he has my best interests at heart. I would recommend him wholeheartedly – in fact, I have done to many of my friends.

Sam Elliston

11:13 07 Dec 22

Craig was a personal expert, providing great advice and communication throughout the buying process for our holiday home. He dealt with shifting situations in mortgage products, sellers pulling out, and mortgage extensions without any problem and removed all of the stress from us – he has found us a great deal and been Uber helpful throughout. Thanks so much.All of the advice, patience, and expertise has been very much appreciated. It has created a really great moment for me and my family, to own a holiday home in a lovely part of Suffolk.

Emma Burry

07:19 22 Oct 22

We have used HHH mortgages twice in the past year and we can’t fault their service. Sally has supported our applications twice and made sure she has communicated effectively with us every step of the way- even whilst she was on holiday! Both Sally and Caroline helped with a complicated application and were in touch daily- we can not thank them enough as they have helped us to secure a mortgage for our dream home!

Jenni Clutten

09:32 18 Oct 22

Sally couldn’t have done more to help me secure a house and mortgage over the last 12 months. I have finally completed on my home and I am so grateful for her advice and patience with me, as I embarked on trying to buy a renovation property in an extremely competitive housing market. I always had absolute trust in HHHM to ensure I was getting the best rates and that they were considering my long term needs. The phrase going above and beyond doesn’t describe enough, how thoughtful and dedicated Sally has been to getting me across the line. Thank you!

Lydia Cole

18:43 11 Oct 22

I cannot rate Craig from HHH mortgages highly enough. As a first time buyer I found the prospect of buying a flat quite daunting. Craig not only secured me a great deal on a mortgage but also supported me throughout the process of the sale through to completion. Craig was always on hand for advice and help and was particularly helpful at dealing with my solicitors and ensuring any problems were dealt with quickly. Craig also spent a lot of time chasing updates on my behalf which alleviated so much stress for me. I’m very grateful for all the work Craig put in and he’s been a joy to work with. I will definitely be recommending him and returning to him in the future!

Rachael Baker

13:33 14 Sep 22

Joe and Ben at HHH Mortgages were great! I had a few tricky circumstances to navigate, and they were both super helpful throughout, professional, and came up with solutions to make the entire remortgaging process a joy. Would highly recommend and definitely will be working with them in the future!

Pat Talbot

16:34 04 Apr 22

A professional company with a personal touch. It was good to speak with an advisor who not only listened patiently whilst we explained our problem, but relentlessly sourced a wide range of options with speed, care and attention to detail.

Claire Hillyer

19:54 28 Mar 22

Since 2016, Mark has supported us in finding two affordable mortgages and (importantly) ones that have been just right for our needs. He has always listened to our requirements and helped us to explore different options. Mark has a caring nature and we’ve appreciated him guiding us through what could have been a stressful process. We would recommend him to anybody.

Elaine Reader

19:23 20 Dec 21

Having entered the house-buying process with some trepidation, given our circumstances (self-employed, etc.), we cannot be more grateful for the superb service provided by Joe and Ben at HHH. They were always easy to contact, friendly, helpful, and took time to explain everything to us. The whole experience was notable for a level of care and attention to detail rarely seen.We cannot recommend them highly enough.

Paul John

14:03 01 Dec 21

A seamless, professional service, from start to finish. HIghly recommended. Mark took the time to understand our exact needs and matched us with the ideal product at a very competitive rate.

Annabelle Miles

13:46 17 Nov 21

Brilliant service as always – Mark is a delight and answered all our questions about our remortgage swiftly!

James Watson

10:35 08 Nov 21

We have received superb service from House & Holiday Home Mortgages, and we would not hesitate to recommend them. From start to finish, Joe Stallard and Ben Walker have both been excellent – friendly, easily contactable, quick to reply to emails and totally professional throughout. It is fair to say that they have made the whole process a pleasure. Thank you!

Matt G

13:22 27 Jul 21

Sally helped me buy my first house in 2021, at the height of the stamp duty holiday property rush. She not only found an excellent mortgage deal, but was full of useful advice all the way through the process of house buying: from viewings to completion. Despite the busyness of the market, Sally was always responsive and efficient, finding and applying for mortgage deals with impressive speed.Would definitely recommend her to any first time buyers: made the whole process so much easier and went such a long way having someone on hand to explain the confusing world of house hunting.

RETIREMENT INTEREST ONLY (RIO) MORTGAGE

RIO stands for Retirement Interest Only. RIO products require borrowers to only make monthly interest payments until they die or go into long-term care, at which time, lenders get their loan repaid by the house being sold.

They’re similar to interest-only loans where you only make monthly interest repayments and rely on an alternative investment method, alongside house price growth, to repay the principal loan.

The difference to a standard interest-only mortgage is that rather than relying on an alternative investment to pay off the main loan, it’s repaid when the house is sold, when you die or when you move into long-term residential care.

To be accepted for an RIO mortgage you only have to prove you can afford the monthly interest repayments because the method of repaying the loan is already agreed.

The main caveat is that the loan must be affordable if the first borrower in a joint borrower situation dies. So as advisers we need to know what income the survivor will be left with from the deceased borrower’s pension now paid to husband or wife. That will determine whether the lender will accept the application.

HYBRID MORTGAGE

Sat between the Interest Only and RIO mortgages, one or two providers offer a hybrid deal where the borrowers can pay the interest for so many years and then have the loan converted to a lifetime loan where no monthly payments are required. The interest will now roll up as it would on a conventional Equity Release loan.

EQUITY RELEASE OR LIFETIME LOAN

This enables borrowers from age 55 upwards to release equity from their property.

A standard lifetime mortgage is a loan secured against your home which provides you with a tax-free cash lump sum and no required monthly repayments. As with all types of lifetime mortgage, you retain 100 percent homeownership. Depending on their age borrowers can release between 18%-50% of the value of their home.

Many such deals come with a NO NEGATIVE EQUITY GUARANTEE meaning if the loan became more in value than the house was worth the owners can stay in that property. Such loans are settled when the last borrower dies or is taken into care.

There are various forms of this product. For example, smokers or people with certain ill health conditions can borrow more money because their life expectancy may be shorter. Borrowers can also set up reserve pots and drawdown sums of money within the terms of the plan when they need to.

Some equity release plans now allow the borrower to pay all or part of the interest which of course keep the interest balance lower than not making payments at all which is also acceptable to an equity release lender if the customer cannot make the payments or does not wish to.

HOME REVERSION PLANS

Home reversion plans are now much less common than lifetime mortgages, accounting for less than one percent of the market.

With a home reversion plan, you sell all or part of your home in exchange for a tax-free cash lump sum or a regular income, with the right to stay in your home – rent-free – for as long as you choose.

When you pass away or enter long-term care, your house will be sold, and the reversion company will take its share of the proceeds. If you sold the whole property, all of the proceeds will go to the company; if you only sold a percentage, they will take this and the rest will go to your beneficiaries.

Equity Release Explained

You may have heard this term for several things such as remortgaging your house or selling and renting back your house, but for these purposes when we talk about releasing equity from your house, we’re talking about the phrase used to describe the regulated plans called Lifetime Mortgages and Home Reversion plans.

Both are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and are available to help people release the equity they have tied up in their homes without them having to move, which can be a solution that sorts some people perfectly.

Regulated equity release has increased in popularity over the years and the flexibility and safeguards which are built into equity release plans have enabled thousands of homeowners to tap safely into their biggest asset, their home, without having to worry about making monthly repayments. If you think this is something that would suit your needs, then get in touch with us today and one of our brokers can advise you on how we’re able to help.

Importantly, if you are thinking of releasing equity from your house, then you need to find out as much as you can about your options and weigh up the advantages and disadvantages fully before you decide if equity release is right for you. Contact us today and take the first step towards releasing equity from your home to give the capital you require. As reputable brokers in the UK, we can help you secure the best possible deal for your individual circumstances.

If this wasn’t quite what you were looking for, then check out our Mortgages and Protection areas to find out how we can help you best.

Both Joe and Mark were excellent from start to finish. Plenty of advice was given to us and explained well. Any emails sent to Joe he replied promptly (sometimes whilst he was on holiday, sorry Joe!) Would recommend them to anybody. Thanks again.

Tim S - Gloucestershire

How we can help

Equity Release may involve a Lifetime Mortgage or Home Reversion Scheme. To understand the features and risks, ask for a personalised illustration

Equity release is a life time mortgage which will reduce the value of your estate, will not be suitable for everyone and may affect your entitlement to state benefit

There will be a broker fee for the advice given, the exact amount will depend upon your circumstances but we estimate it will be approximately £495 for residential cases and up to £695 for specialist, complex, sub-prime cases, and equity release cases.

Check that this option will meet your needs if you want to move or sell your home or you want your family to inherit it. If you are in any doubt seek professional advice.

Need help? Give us a call or request help by sending us a message through our contact page.

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