Mortgage options for the over 55s

16th August 2018

Following the Mortgage Market Review in 2014, banks and building societies were required to adopt stricter lending criteria and affordability checks, and as a result many lenders restricted both their maximum borrowing and repayment age.

FACTORS TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION

Whatever their age and circumstances, older borrowers will need to go through the usual checks to ensure they can afford to make their monthly mortgage repayments. They will need to show proof of income and declare all outgoings, including any debts.

Lenders will need to consider issues that could affect an older borrower’s income, such as their state of health, and in the case of joint borrowers, what would happen to their finances if one of them were to die.

On the other side of the coin, older borrowers can often be free of other commitments that can burden younger borrowers – they are further into their careers and probably earn more, their children may have left home, and many may have already come into money through a family inheritance. Plus, it can be easier for a lender to assess whether a loan is affordable in the case of a potential borrower who is in receipt of a pension, as opposed to one who is likely to retire half way through the mortgage term.

TAKING ADVICE IS KEY

Getting advice from a mortgage adviser can really help. We know the lenders in the marketplace and the criteria they operate under, and so are able to ensure that your application goes to one that caters for your specific mortgage needs.

As a mortgage is secured against your home or property, it could be repossessed if you do not keep up mortgage repayments.