A couple that I assisted, let's call them Mr & Mrs Moore, took out a Lifetime Mortgage in 2016 for £40,000 to use some for home improvements and some to gift some money to their children. Since then, Mrs Moore has experienced several health challenges, being diagnosed with cancer three times. Despite being given the all-clear, twice, Mrs Moore was at the time, undergoing further treatment. Whilst she had been told that the prognosis was positive, at age 68 she was finding the treatment very tiring.
Since 2016 Mr Moore had developed COPD and had also been diagnosed with high blood pressure. After many years of doing all the odd jobs around their house, he found that he could no longer manage and was now having to pay tradesmen to do the things he used to do.
Early in 2024 they noticed that the roof had a number of tiles that were loose and some had fallen away completely. A recommended local roofer with a good reputation in the local area quoted at least £10,000 to put the roof put back into good order.
They approached their existing Lifetime Mortgage provider and enquired about taking a further advance. Unfortunately, the existing provider was not able to help as the property was not of sufficient value to support further borrowing given Mr & Mrs Moore’s ages. They asked the solicitor who had previously acted for them for suggestions on a way forward and Mr & Mrs Moore were given my number.
Having looked at their available options, I was able to suggest an alternative lender who would use medical underwriting to decide the amount they could borrow. Over the following weeks I met with Mr & Mrs Moore several times, working around various hospital appointments and kept the length of our meetings short so as to not make the process too strenuous for them. I liaised with the lender, valuer, solicitors and in particular, their GP who submitted reports confirming their medical history and current conditions.
After all this had been collated and underwritten, the new lender was in a position to make an offer that was enough to ensure that the repairs to the roof could be done.
While Lifetime Mortgages are often written based on age and the value of the property, it is also, in some cases, possible to increase the amounts available if there are underlying medical reasons.
We are very experienced in arranging these types of Equity Release mortgages and will deal sensitively with all clients, regardless of their health and circumstances.
Paul Smith
0333 34 44 34 8
The information provided in this article is not intended to constitute professional advice and you should take full and comprehensive legal, accountancy or financial advice as appropriate on your individual circumstances by a fully qualified Solicitor, Accountant or Financial Advisor/Mortgage Broker before you embark on any course of action.
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