• March 29, 2024
 27% of equity consumers take out plan to clear existing mortgage

27% of equity consumers take out plan to clear existing mortgage

Recent research has found that over a quarter (27%) of people who took out an equity release plan in 2017 did so to clear an existing mortgage.

Clearing an existing mortgage was the reasoning why over a quarter (27%) of people who took out an equity release plan last year.

This is according to research from Retirement Advantage, which also found that just under a third (30%) had taken out a plan to pay for improvements to their home. This was slightly in front of the 18% who used the funds to consolidate unsecured debts.

Commenting on the results of the research was Alice Watson. The head of product and marketing at Retirement Advantage stated: “While the customers who are using equity release to pay off mortgage debt may be on either interest-only or repayment mortgages, the sheer popularity of using equity release for this reason reinforces the fact that debt in later years is becoming the norm. Recognising this, we are seeing people are increasingly comfortable with using the wealth in their property to help clear what they owe when they retire.

“Innovation and product development within the sector means that over-55s can access products which behave in a similar way as mainstream mortgages. The ability to pay off the interest, and even the capital, provides the flexibility that customers are familiar with, and the adoption of other mainstream product features, such as fixed early repayment charges, means that equity release could be a sensible solution for some homeowners.

“What the FCA referenced recently is the potential for products such as equity release to play a bigger part in future as the bulk of interest-only mortgages mature. This highlights the importance of advisers taking a holistic view of all assets when giving advice to those at, or approaching, retirement.”

Georgia Owen

Georgia is the Senior Content Executive and will be your primary contact when submitting your latest news. While studying for an LLB at the University of Liverpool, Georgia gained experience working within retail, as well as social media management. She later went on to work for a local newspaper, before starting at Today’s Wills and Probate.