Understanding equity release

From this guide:

Why consider equity release?

It can be particularly useful in the following scenarios:

• If you want to free up capital to help your children or grandchildren get a foot on the property ladder or to assist with other expenses including school fees.
• If you need some capital for home improvements and would prefer not to touch your more liquid assets, such as your investments. This way your regular cash flow will not be adversely impacted.
• If you or your spouse don’t qualify for NHS, State or Local Authority funding assistance and you need more funds available to pay for comprehensive and often expensive care at home.
• As part of an inheritance tax mitigation strategy where you gift the monies released on to the next generation. This could provide a very valuable saving to inheritance tax after 7 years and possibly from the end of year 3 depending on the amount gifted.
• To top up your pension income or take less cash flow from your pension plans. Following the introduction of Pension Freedoms there is also the argument to take less money out of pension plans now which are typically inheritance tax free and instead use equity from your property.
• To replace an existing conventional mortgage in retirement which is no longer affordable.

This is a highly regulated area of the market and there are a range of different providers and plans to choose from.

Ultimately you are using some of the equity you have accumulated in your home and we can guide you in what can sometimes be quite an emotional decision.

Download the full guide to read more.