Applicant eligibility
- Minimum age, typically 55 for a lifetime mortgage and higher for reversion
- Age of the youngest applicant governs the maximum loan-to-value
- The property must be the client's main residence
- Capacity to enter the transaction, or a valid and registered power of attorney
- Any existing secured borrowing must be repaid from the release or otherwise
- Minimum advance and minimum property value requirements must both be met
Property criteria that most often restrict a case
- Non-standard construction: timber frame, concrete (PRC), steel frame, prefabricated
- Spray foam insulation in the roof space — often a decline or removal requirement
- Short unexpired lease terms; flying freehold; share-transfer tenure
- Ex-local-authority flats, and flats above or beside commercial premises
- Acreage above a stated limit, paddocks, stables or agricultural use
- Annexes, granny flats, holiday lets or any part let to a third party
- Flood zone, coastal erosion, mining or subsidence history
- Solar panels on a third-party lease, septic tanks and private water supplies
- Property condition: habitability, damp, structural movement, Japanese knotweed
Valuation and underwriting
The provider instructs a valuation and underwrites the case against its published criteria. Valuation can return a lower figure than expected, impose retentions or essential-repair conditions, or decline the property outright. Enhanced or impaired-life terms are confirmed only after the health questionnaire has been underwritten — never present them as certain.
Standard submission evidence
- Verified date of birth for each applicant and proof of identity and address
- Evidence of ownership and title, plus lease details where leasehold
- Redemption statement for any existing mortgage or secured loan
- Occupier waiver for any adult non-borrowing occupant
- Power of attorney documentation where an attorney is applying
- Buildings insurance schedule, and certificates for any remedial works
- Health questionnaire where enhanced terms are sought
Jurisdiction matters
Availability and criteria are recorded separately for England & Wales, Scotland, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. A product verified for one jurisdiction is not available in another, and the legal process, security document and conveyancing professional all differ. Establish the property's jurisdiction before researching products.