The Intermediary – October 2026 - Flipbook - Page 72
L AT E R L I F E L E N D I N G
Opinion
Part of a broader
conversation
F
70
or some time, equity
release has been
discussed primarily as
a specialist solution for
homeowners looking to
unlock property wealth.
But the way consumers approach
retirement is changing, and the role
of later life lending within the wider
conversation must change with it.
The latest Retirement Compass
research conducted by Fairer Finance
provides a clear illustration. The
finding that 65% of single female
homeowner households aged 55 to 79
fall below the moderate retirement
living standard, despite holding
average housing wealth of £225,000,
shows why looking at pension income
alone can leave an incomplete picture.
The finding does not mean housing
wealth is the answer for these
households, nor that equity release
will be appropriate. However, it does
highlight the importance of looking at
the whole financial picture.
Pensions and savings remain
central, but for many homeowners,
property will also represent a
significant part of their wealth.
The question is whether consumers
are being given the opportunity to
understand what that wealth could
mean alongside other resources.
relevant and having a clear route into
specialist advice.
Housing wealth should be
considered alongside other resources
and options, including downsizing,
with individual circumstances
determining the appropriate course.
Our own experience shows that
consumers are not approaching later
life lending for one single reason.
Repaying residential mortgages and
funding home improvements remain
significant drivers, while lifestylerelated borrowing has also increased.
Beyond equity release
Specialist support
The challenge is ensuring that
consumers and advisers have the
understanding and support to consider
housing wealth appropriately.
For brokers, their customers
already come to them with questions
about borrowing, refinancing and
their future financial plans. Those
conversations provide an opportunity
to consider how their needs may
change as they approach retirement,
and where specialist advice could help.
It doesn’t mean every broker
needs to become a lifetime mortgage
specialist. It does mean recognising
when later life lending might be
If later life lending is to become part
of a broader retirement conversation,
advisers need access to the right
specialist expertise and infrastructure
when they need it.
That was our thinking behind the
development and launch of TERN
– The Equity Release Network.
TERN brings together the specialist
infrastructure needed to help advisers
build later life lending into their
proposition, including structured
training, whole-of-market access,
technology and business growth
support. The response since launch
has reinforced the need for this
The Intermediary | October 2026
Breaking down silos
Consumers approaching retirement
should not have to navigate completely
separate conversations about their
mortgage, pension, savings and
property simply because those areas
sit within different parts of the
advice market.
The objective should therefore be
a more connected conversation in
which customers can understand
the options available to them, their
implications, and how they fit within
their circumstances.
As advice expectations continue to
rise, advisers must be confident not
only in the products they recommend,
but also in recognising when another
area of expertise may be relevant.
MARK GREGORY
is founder and CEO
at Equity Release Group
type of specialist support. Advisers
are looking for ways to develop
without necessarily having to build
every element themselves, while
maintaining the standards and
customer focus expected of them.
Technology is an important part of
that infrastructure, particularly as
consumers increasingly research and
compare options before engaging with
an adviser. But it should support the
advice journey rather than replace
professional judgement.
Start earlier
Retirement planning should not
suddenly begin when someone
reaches retirement age. Decisions
around borrowing, mortgage
repayment, property, savings and
longer-term financial security can
all have implications years before
retirement. The more time customers
have to understand those options,
the more informed their eventual
decisions can be.
The later life lending market has
an opportunity to move beyond being
viewed simply as a specialist product
category and to become part of a much
broader conversation about how
people fund and plan for later life.
That will require collaboration
across the advice market, stronger
links between specialist and
mainstream advisers, and support
structures that make it easier to deliver
high-quality advice.
The future is not about making
equity release relevant to more people.
It is about making housing wealth part
of the right conversation, at the right
time, with the right advice. ●
