EQUITY RELEASE SPECIALISTS
What would you like to do?
- Clear an existing mortgage?
- Fund home improvements?
- Gift an early inheritance?
- Boost your disposable income in retirement?
...We can help!
If you’re a UK homeowner aged over 55 and interested in learning more about releasing the equity in your home, let us help you find out more.
Equity Release Calculator
Find out how much you can release
The calculator below enables you to get an idea of what may be available to you, based on your age and property value. This is, however, a basic calculation and only an indication of the offer.
Please remember: if you are a couple, use the youngest age in the calculator.
OUR SERVICE TO YOU
We offer an initial meeting/discussion, either by telephone or face-to-face, without obligation and at no charge.
Equity release products are not for everyone though, and it’s our job to help you decide whether it suits your needs.
Together, as client and adviser, we will work through your options:
Everyone is different and has different needs so we look at your objectives and what you want to achieve
Whether equity release is a suitable route for you now or possibly later for those objectives
How equity release works and what it means for you and your family
Discuss all the alternatives and provide access to these options if more appropriate
If we recommend equity release, we will proceed to presenting you with a Key Facts Illustration based on a product specific to your needs
If you are happy to proceed, we will manage the application process from start to finish, dealing with lenders and solicitors on your behalf so you don’t have to.
QUALITY ADVICE
With over a decade of experience and a 5-star Trustpilot rating, we are proud to call ourselves one of the most trusted equity release companies in the UK.
What Is Equity Release?
Equity release has become an increasingly common way for homeowners across the UK to fund their dreams in later life.
Rising house prices over recent decades means that the UK’s over-55s have more value than ever locked-up in their properties; equity that can be accessed using a Lifetime Mortgage, the most popular form of equity release. With a Lifetime Mortgage, unlike other forms of equity release, you can unlock tax-free cash from your home whilst retaining full ownership. There will be no requirement to make monthly payments, but you will be encouraged to consider making voluntary payments, dependent upon your financial situation, to reduce your cost of borrowing over time. All the plans that we recommend will give you the opportunity to make payments on a voluntary basis.
Please note: A Lifetime Mortgage will reduce the value of your estate and could affect your entitlement to means-tested benefits. Our adviser will talk you through this and the setting-up costs before you make any decision to proceed.
WHAT IS A LIFETIME MORTGAGE?
Just like a traditional mortgage, the lender has a charge on your property. However, there are some important differences to a traditional mortgage.
There is no fixed term to the agreement. The mortgage remains until the last party passes away or goes into long-term care. From this point on, the lenders would like their money back which usually comes from the sale of the property, but it can be paid back independently.
You do not have to make repayments. If you do not make repayments the interest will ‘roll up’ and be compounded. However, many plans allow you to make ad-hoc or regular payments. This can slow down or prevent the roll up of interest or even start to part-repay the mortgage.
You do not have to take all the money at once. There are two types of plans available. A lump sum Lifetime Mortgage or a drawdown Lifetime Mortgage. The benefit of this is that you only pay interest on the funds that you have used.
Most borrowers choose a fixed rate and, if so, this is fixed for life. This enables you to see how much you will owe at any time in the future. Capped variable rates are also available but rarely chosen.
THE TWO MAIN TYPES OF LIFETIME MORTGAGE
LUMP SUM LIFETIME MORTGAGE
Lump Sum Lifetime Mortgages are a popular type of equity release plan. They are available to homeowners over the age of 55 and allow you to borrow a percentage of the value of your home.
Lump sum Lifetime Mortgages provide your money as a single, one-off amount and so this equity release plan could be ideal if you need to pay for large expenses such as home improvements, repay debts or help children financially.
How much money you can borrow with a lump sum Lifetime Mortgage depends upon three things:
The age of the youngest homeowner,
The value of your property,
Where you live.
Should you choose not to make any voluntary payments, then the interest will be rolled-up and added to the amount borrowed and will build-up over time.
DRAWDOWN LIFETIME MORTGAGE
In the same way as a Lump Sum Lifetime Mortgage, a drawdown product will allow you to release a tax-free cash lump sum.
It differs in that you can release a smaller initial amount and create a further reserve amount of equity that you can access at a later date. This can give you increased flexibility and choice when it comes to making the most of your property wealth and planning for your future.
We always look at your objectives as a way of recommending, and if some of your needs are in the future, this product may be more suitable than the lump sum product as you only pay the interest when you draw down an amount.
The amount held in your reserve will be completely interest-free until you access it, meaning that this type of Lifetime Mortgage can be valuable for those who want to control the impact of interest build-up.
CONTACT US
If you have any questions or wish to discuss equity release without obligation, then feel free to call us.
Alternatively, you are welcome to complete the enquiry form below and we'll give you a call back.
