Compare Retirement

Important Information:

A lifetime mortgage is a loan secured against your home and is a long-term financial commitment. Releasing equity will reduce the value of your estate over time due to compounded interest and costs, unless you make repayments. Equity release could affect your entitlement to means-tested benefits and impact funding long-term care. The money you release, plus the accrued interest is then repaid when you die or move into long-term care. Moving home is subject to lender criteria. Early repayment charges may apply. Regulated, independent advice is required before proceeding with equity release and any existing mortgage must be repaid.

Think carefully before securing other debts against your home. We’ll explain all the risks and alternatives before you decide - and provide your personalised illustration to explain the full details. Our initial advice comes free of charge and without obligation. Only if your case completes would our advice fee of £1,195 be payable. Other lender and solicitor fees may apply.

We're Here When You Need Us – 7 Days a Week At Compare Retirement, we’re open every day to help you find out whether releasing equity from your home is the right choice for you.

Our qualified advisers provide expert equity release advice entirely over the phone—no need for face-to-face appointments.

Call us now on Freephone 0800 520 0090. We offer advice to homeowners across the entire UK—including England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

By comparing plans from a wide panel of leading UK lenders, we ensure you get a solution that’s competitive, suitable, and tailored to your needs.

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Request a FREE, no obligation call back from one of our qualified advisers

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Monday to Friday from 9am – 9pm
Saturday & Sunday from 10am – 5:30pm

Dennis Kreijns – WINNER Best Individual Adviser – Equity Release Awards 2022

We’re incredibly proud that Dennis Kreijns was named Best Individual Adviser at the Equity Release Awards 2022.

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Welcome to Compare Retirement – Your Equity Release Specialists

If you’re a homeowner aged 55 or over, equity release could give you access to tax-free cash from your home—without having to move. It’s an increasingly popular way to boost your finances in later life and enjoy greater freedom in retirement.

You can use the money however you choose—whether it’s clearing a mortgage or other debts, making home or garden improvements, supporting loved ones with a financial gift, or a living inheritance, taking a dream holiday, or simply making day-to-day life in retirement more comfortable. (There may be cheaper ways to borrow - and we’ll always discuss these with you and recommend the most suitable route for your situation.)

At Compare Retirement, our expert team of qualified equity release advisers will give you clear, honest, and independent advice tailored to your individual circumstances. We’ll explain all your options—including alternatives such as downsizing or using other forms of borrowing—and if equity release isn’t right for you, we’ll tell you.

If it is the right solution, we’ll make the process straightforward from start to finish, with regular updates and a dedicated adviser to guide you every step of the way.

We listen to your needs without pressure.
We assess your eligibility, property, age and financial goals.
We compare options (equity release plans and alternatives).
We deliver independent, jargon-free advice.
We support you through the legal, valuation and lender steps—until funds are released.

There’s absolutely no obligation after our consultation. Only if you proceed and complete a plan would any advice fee apply.All of our consultations take place over the phone, at a time that suits you, with absolutely no pressure to go ahead.

Take control of your finances and explore how much tax-free cash you could unlock.

Call one of our friendly advisers today on Freephone 0800 520 0090

Make your retirement something special

Access tax-free cash from your home with regulated advice — without needing to move.
Equity release can help you unlock money later in life, but it’s a long-term commitment and won’t be right for everyone.
Stay in the home you love for life
With a lifetime mortgage (the most common type), you remain the legal owner of your home and can live there for life, so long as you meet your contract terms (e.g., maintaining the property and keeping it insured)
Access your money your way
Take a tax-free lump sum, set up a drawdown facility, or combine both. With drawdown, interest is charged only on the amounts you actually take, which can help reduce total borrowing costs over time compared with taking all funds at once
Important: How much you can release depends on your age, property and circumstances. Taking more funds earlier generally increases total interest due because interest compounds.
Keep future options open
Most ERC-standard lifetime mortgages allow you to move home (“port”) your plan to a suitable new property, subject to the lender’s criteria and valuation. If the new property is not acceptable, the loan may need to be repaid (and early-repayment charges (ERCs) could apply).
Rest assured with the No Negative Equity Guarantee
ERC-standard products include a No Negative Equity Guarantee: when your home is sold, neither you nor your estate will owe more than the sale proceeds (after reasonable selling costs), even if property values have fallen.
No mandatory repayments (if you choose roll-up)
Most lifetime mortgages do not require monthly repayments; interest can “roll up” and is repaid, with the original loan, from the sale of your property (typically when you die or move into long-term care). Many products do let you make voluntary/partial repayments (often up to a set limit each year) or service some/all interest to control the balance.
Important: Rolled-up interest compounds, increasing the total to be repaid and reducing the value of your estate over time, unless you make repayments.
Costs & charges: Fees may include advice, valuation, legal and lender charges. Early-repayment charges can apply if you repay early (though some plans include features like downsizing protection after a set period). Your personalised illustration will detail all costs.
Impact on inheritance & benefits: Equity release will reduce the value of your estate and may affect means-tested benefits. We’ll assess these impacts as part of your advice.
Eligibility & suitability: Not all property types or ownership structures qualify; meeting eligibility does not guarantee suitability. We will explore alternatives (e.g., downsizing, help from family members, conventional or retirement interest-only mortgage or other borrowing) before recommending any plan.

A Plan Tailored to You

Every homeowner’s situation is different. The interest rate, the amount you can release—and the features available—depend on:

Your age (the older you are, the more you can usually release)
Your property value and type (some lenders have criteria on location, construction or lease terms)
Your personal circumstances and health & lifestyle (some “enhanced” plans offer higher release amounts for certain conditions)

Our expert qualified advisers will compare options across the market and guide you step‑by‑step to the plan that’s right for your needs—with clear, honest advice and no pressure to go ahead.

Our commitment under Consumer Duty

We design our information and advice process to support good consumer outcomes by helping you understand features, risks, costs and alternatives.

Our promise to you

At Compare Retirement, we’re here to help you make informed decisions with confidence and clarity. Here's what you can expect:

Expert, regulated advice: You’ll speak to a fully qualified adviser who will explain features, costs and risks in a way that’s easy to understand. Equity release advice is a regulated activity, and you must receive advice before proceeding.
Broad lender coverage: We compare plans from a broad panel of leading providers (for example Aviva, Canada Life, JUST, LiveMore, LV=, More2Life, Pure Retirement, Royal London, Standard Life). Our panel may change, and we’ll always tell you which lenders we consider and how we’re paid.
Competitive, suitable recommendations: We aim to recommend a suitable plan that balances interest rate, features and your objectives. Your personalised Key Facts Illustration will set out the rate and total cost.
No-obligation conversations: Speak to us at a time that suits you. We don’t use pressure-selling.
All alternatives considered: We’ll discuss alternatives such as downsizing, help from family members, conventional or retirement interest-only mortgage, other borrowing or using savings before recommending equity release.
If it’s not right, we’ll say so: A recommendation will only be made if it appears suitable for your circumstances and in your best interests. Otherwise, we’ll tell you.
Clear explanation of benefits and risks: We explain guarantees and flexibilities alongside the key risks (e.g., compounding interest, impact on inheritance/means-tested benefits, early-repayment charges, property/lender criteria if moving).
Take your time: You decide in your own time. We’ll support your understanding and provide documents in a durable medium so you can review them carefully.
End-to-end help: We coordinate the process from application to completion, including liaising with the lender and your solicitor. (You’ll receive independent legal advice before completion.)
Fixed or capped interest for life (ERC-standard products): Most lifetime mortgages have a fixed rate for life.
Member of the Equity Release Council: We promise to follow a stringent Statement of Principles for your added peace of mind.
Equity Release Council product standard: We recommend products that meet the Equity Release Council’s core standards—No Negative Equity Guarantee, right to remain in your home for life, and the right to move (subject to lender criteria and property suitability).
Authorised and regulated by the FCA: Compare Retirement Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under firm reference number 1030694. You can check us on the Financial Services Register. Note: FCA authorisation is not an endorsement of the service; it means we must follow the rules.
Independent property valuation: Lenders instruct an independent RICS-registered valuer to assess the property for lending purposes in line with RICS standards.
A single point of contact: You’ll have a named adviser who stays with you throughout, so you won’t need to repeat your story.