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Equity Release For Pensioners 2024 Guide

equity release for pensioners

Equity release for pensioners is an increasingly popular option for mature borrowers looking to supplement their income. It offers a way to access the cash tied up in your home without moving or making regular repayments.

With equity release, you can unlock the value of your property and use it to fund your retirement lifestyle.

For many pensioners, equity release can provide a much-needed financial boost and help them enjoy their retirement years with greater peace of mind.

It can be used for anything from making home improvements to taking a well-deserved holiday. With so many options available, it’s important to understand how equity release works and what the pros and cons are before making any decisions.

Example Equity Release Plan For Pensioners

  • Equity release at 4.18%.
  • Free valuations available upon request
  • No monthly payments unless you prefer an interest-only option
  • Continue to live in your home and retain 100% ownership
  • You can still move home as this plan is transferable
  • Can be utilised to optimise tax planning purposes
  • Up to 70% loan to value on some plans
  • Help a family member purchase their own home with a small mortgage

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If you’re over the age of 55, then you might have an incredible chance to bring more security and stability to your finances and those of your loved ones.

Through equity release schemes, you can unlock the cash trapped in your property – letting you make the most of it’s value.

Even with the economic disruption in the UK, there are many different equity release options with competitive rates, high loan-to-value ratios and long-term safeguards to meet your needs later on.

You’d be able to leave a healthy inheritance too. With inheritance protection plans you can secure a percentage of your property’s worth that will remain available to pass on to your family. Even when your loan grows, this protected amount remains untouched.

Take just a minute or two today to fill out our short online form for a free, no-obligation quote. It won’t cost anything and is extremely simple and secure.

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Do any of the following questions apply yo you?

  • Do you have a mortgage you would like to pay off soon?
  • Do you require money for repairs or home improvements? Like a new extension or bathroom.
  • Would you like to pay off all your credit cards and loans and have zero monthly payments?
  • Would you like a better lifestyle, change your car or have a well-deserved holiday?

Equity Release Plans For Pensioners

Life expectancy throughout the UK is much higher now than a decade ago. With that comes financial pressure, which is where equity release for pensioners can be your ultimate financial lifeline.

Equity release can be used by anyone aged 55 or over; however, it’s more accessible once you retire, own 100% of your home (no mortgage) and have sought financial advice to discover if this really is the most appropriate method to finance whatever you need to raise the capital for.

With equity release, pensioners are free to spend the money however they like. You can use it to buy your own forever home – outright if you have enough property valuation to do that – or you can help your kids or grandkids to get on the property ladder courtesy of the bank of Mum and Dad, which is the case for hundreds of thousands of children these days.

Did you know almost a third of the UK property market is tied up in pensioner wealth? Over £1.1 Trillion is the amount of money that UK pensioners are sitting on that’s tied up in their properties.

Due to the house price surge we’ve seen in the past couple of decades, most pensioners are seeing substantial increases in their total property wealth, or asset wealth, as your financial advisor would refer. Equity release for pensioners is how to release the cash tied up within your property.

What do pensioners use equity release for?

For some, equity release is used to top up their pension incomes, whereas, for others, it’s to afford some retirement luxuries.

Those who leave things until they’re older, perhaps into their 70s or 80s, tend to be using equity release as a way to finance increasing living costs, perhaps make some home adaptations that are required, such as installing a bathroom on the ground level, wheelchair access ramps or a stair lift.

Unlike traditional mortgages, there are no restrictions on what you can spend your money on. It’s your equity that you’ve paid into your home over so many years. Equity release lets you take that out of your property as a cash advance. You’re selling your home but retaining the right to live there for the rest of your life.

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How Much Does Equity Release Cost?

Equity release for pensioners will have some costs attached to arrange the plans, then the final interest that’s payable upon the sale of your home.

How much interest is charged depends on the type of equity release plan you take out. The upfront fees include an arrangement fee, varying from £700 to £3,000. There’s also a property valuation fee, although that’s sometimes included as part of the arrangement fees, solicitor fees and advisor fees.

Legal and advisory fees are variable. Some plans will contribute to your legal fees, and others may offer free advice from an equity release advisor.

Where advice is given for free, the advisor can be paid a fee from the plan provider, or it could be an investment firm’s own advisor. If you aren’t using an independent financial advisor, it is worth asking if they cover the whole market or represent any particular providers.

Some are tied advisors meaning they can only refer you to certain providers, whereas someone acting independently will be able to compare the whole market to find the plan that best suits your circumstances. Obtaining expert advice from a certified financial advisor is required before you can use equity release.

Financial Firms Favouring Later-in-Life Lending

In the past few years, lenders have adapted to increase the flexibility of borrowing for later in life finances.

As a result, the lifetime mortgage market has become more competitive, and additional borrowing options now on the market can help you with traditional home loan products, thus preventing you from locking into a lifetime mortgage.

Equity release advisors advise on both equity release products and all other types of finance you’d be suitable for. It used to be that if you were borrowing into retirement or once retired, equity release was your only option.

Things are much different now as more lenders are scrapping upper age limits due to statistics showing money tied up in properties and over half a million pensioners over the age of 90 requiring financial assistance through later-life borrowing.

If equity release is suitable, it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to take a cash lump sum from your equity and rely on that making do for the rest of your life.

Equity release providers often have protection elements available, such as offering to downsize protection, inheritance guarantees and drawdown facilities, letting pensioners restrict the amount of interest that will accrue, whereby they can leave a portion of the value of their home to beneficiaries of their estate.

The older you are into retirement, the better the interest rates and flexibility are available. Due to a rise in pensioners requiring additional borrowing into retirement, lenders introduced the retirement interest-only (RIO) mortgage.

This type of finance is not classified as equity release, but it is an alternative that lets you pay off an interest-only mortgage and continue to pay for it for life.

This was introduced as an alternative to equity release to give homeowners an option to prevent compound interest from building up to the extent that it could wipe out a potential inheritance for their loved ones.

In situations where you have an interest-only mortgage that comes to an end in retirement, and you don’t meet the requirements to secure a remortgage, retirement interest-only mortgages may be a better option. RIO finance can be used to repay the capital owed on a mortgage and release some of the equity, provided your home has increased in value since you bought it.

The only requirement that you may have problems with accessing an RIO mortgage is when you don’t have sufficient income to pass the affordability assessment.

Like all traditional mortgage products, lenders must conduct an affordability assessment, in particular when you’re borrowing into retirement, as pension plans may see you take a drop in income and have to adapt your lifestyle to live within a lower budget.

Many people experience this once they retire, as pension plans haven’t always met expectations. If your pension pot isn’t providing the funds you need, equity release with a drawdown facility can be used as a pension top-up method.

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Things to Consider Before Taking out Equity Release for Pensioners

  • The type of plan you need

Regarding the type of plan that’d be most suitable, it’s beneficial to discuss the plans you have or had for inheritance with your financial advisor. If most of your wealth is tied up in your property, there will be an impact on what’s left for your loved ones.

  • Discuss equity release with your family

Equity release providers advise that you discuss equity release with your family because what you take out of your property wealth is what will come out of your loved one’s inheritance.

  • Inheritance protection

There are ways to set aside a protected portion of your home equity.

Most types of equity release and lifetime mortgages at 55 products apply compound interest. How much interest you pay depends on the capital the interest is applied to and the length of time the plan is in place. As these are lifetime mortgages, the longer you live, the more expensive they become.

That said, there is a No Negative Guarantee with lenders who are members of the Equity Release Council. The guarantee only applies to your loved ones, not inheriting debt to repay interest accrued beyond your home’s value. It doesn’t guarantee equity will be available to leave as part of your estate for your loved ones.

Certain types of equity release plans for pensioners looking to set aside some of their estates for their family can use drawdown. With these, the interest only applies to the cash taken and not the funds left on reserve. The minimum withdrawal on a first advance is usually £10,000. Some firms do have higher minimum lump sums.

By using a drawdown facility, only the cash advanced to you accrues interest. You could be approved for £50,000, release £10,000, and keep £40,000 available for future borrowing if needed. The interest would apply to the £10,000 you released. This can help keep the costs of interest down.

Another way to protect a portion of your home equity is with inheritance protection available with specialist lenders. Whatever portion of your home equity you’d like to protect needs to be under the LTV (loan to value) for which the lender will approve you. The older you are, the higher your LTVs and the lower the interest rates.

How Equity Release Affects Pension Credits

Equity release for pensioners receiving pension credits is more complicated as your pension credits is a means-tested benefit. That’s the same for any council tax benefit.

When you release a cash lump sum through an equity release plan, the money is tax-free, but it does impact your pension credits. The minimum on most plans you can release is £10,000, and when your savings rise above that, your pension credits will be affected, as will council tax benefits.

With council tax, when your savings are between £10,000 and £16,000, you can receive a discount, but once you have savings over £16,000, the council tax benefit stops.

The pension service is similar; however, any savings above £10,000 is assumed you earn £1 for every £500 above £10,000, which pushes your income up, thus reducing the number of pension credits you receive.

If you release a significant cash lump sum through equity release, you may lose entitlement to pension credits and all the associated perks.

Additional savings with pension credit include free dental care, a free TV licence when you reach 75, the Warm Home Discount, grants for boiler care etc.

When combined over the year and your council tax benefit entitlement, losing pension credits can cost you thousands for things you may need to pay for in the future that would be free or discounted if you had pension credits.

Equity release products are highly regulated as they can significantly impact your finances and any inheritance from your estate. For this reason, expert financial advice is required before you can apply for equity release at any age over 55.

For people with specific skills, you can look for houses that need work for sale so you can own a home with no secured loans, mortgages or equity release.

Equity Release For Pensioners Conclusion

In conclusion, equity release can be a great option for UK pensioners looking to supplement their retirement income and enjoy financial peace of mind.

It offers a unique way to access the cash tied up in your home without moving or making regular repayments.

Equity release schemes are often tailored to individual needs, so it’s important to research and understand all the available options before making final decisions.

When used correctly, equity release can be a useful tool for enabling UK pensioners to enjoy their retirement years with greater confidence and comfort.

With careful consideration and a personalised approach, there are many potential benefits to unlocking the value of your property. Taking advantage of equity release could allow you to fund home improvements, take that dream holiday, or give you more freedom and flexibility in your retirement lifestyle.

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