Equity release market hits all-time high in 2016

A recent press release from Keyretirement.co.uk highlighted that retired homeowners withdrew more than £2.1 billion of property wealth last year 2016.

New analysis from leading over-55s finance specialist Keyretirement.com reveals  that the equity release market hits new all-time high in 2016 after fifth year of growth.

Dean Mirfin, technical director at Key Retirement (www.keyretirement.com), said:  “The equity release market has broken through the £2 billion barrier for the first time and has more than doubled in value in just five years, highlighting how property wealth is making a huge contribution to retirement planning.

“The average amount being released by retired homeowners at nearly £78,000 underlines that property wealth can help with a number of issues for customers, ranging from improving their homes and going on holiday to helping family and clearing debt.

“With more than 1 in 5 releasing equity from their homes are repaying mortgages and with 2017 being the start of the first major wave of interest only mortgage maturities we expect demand from those with a shortfall to repay the capital, or no means at all, to turn to equity release as a solution which will further drive demand.

“Rate cuts across the market and the launch of new solutions demonstrates that the market is responding to the growing need for alternatives to traditional retirement income solutions which are being squeezed by historically low interest rates.”

Read the press release from Keyretirement.co.uk in full click here

Allen Walkey

Highly experienced businessman with a successful career in property sales and investment both in the UK and abroad. Now a freelance writer and blogger for the property and Investment Industry, keeping readers up-to-date with changes and events in a rapidly changing world.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Speed, certainty, and strong results: why property auctions are set to thrive in 2026

Following a robust year for the property auction sector in 2025, leading members of NAVA Propertymark’s Advisory Panel Board have shared their standout moments from the year and an optimistic outlook for the auctioning market as it heads into 2026. Despite economic pressures, regulatory change, and fluctuating sentiment in the wider property market, auctions continued…
Read More
Breaking News

2026 Predictions for the Mortgage Sector

Tom Davies, Group Financial Services Managing Director, Mortgage Scout, part of LRG “By the time we move into 2026, the mortgage market will have absorbed an extraordinary amount of economic pressure in the last 5 years. We have come through a pandemic, sharp interest rate rises, fiscal uncertainty and wider global shocks, yet house prices…
Read More
how to present your property for sale
Estate Agent Talk

UK’s most affordable cities

Where does your area rank? takepayments releases interactive map of the UK’s most affordable cities  Middlesbrough takes the top spot as the most affordable city, scoring 6.51/10 Brighton is the least affordable city outside London, scoring 3.5/10 Brighton has the highest property prices outside London (£420,181 on average), while Aberdeen has the lowest (£134,368)  …
Read More
new build homes colchester essex
Breaking News

New-build demand falls in Q4, but pockets of the market remain sturdy

The latest market analysis from Property Inspect has found that demand for new-build homes remained subdued in Q4, with fewer than one in five new properties securing a buyer, as market conditions softened further on both a quarterly and annual basis. Property Inspect analysed current market listings to assess what proportion of new-build homes are…
Read More
Breaking News

Money and Credit – November 2025

Key points: Net borrowing of mortgage debt by individuals increased to £4.5 billion in November, following a decrease of £1.0 billion to £4.2 billion in October. In November, net mortgage approvals for house purchase fell by 500 to 64,500. By contrast, approvals for remortgaging rose by 3,200 to 36,600 in November. Net borrowing of consumer…
Read More
to let sign 2025
Breaking News

Seasonal slowdown sees rental demand soften in Q4

The latest research from Dwelly has revealed that just a handful of areas saw tenant demand for rental homes climb during Q4, as the wider market succumbed to its usual seasonal slowdown ahead of the Christmas break. Dwelly analysed rental market stock across England, looking at the proportion of rental properties listed on the market…
Read More