Over-55s keen to take advantage of the Stamp Duty Holiday drove

There has been a 116% year-on-year increase in the number of people using equity release for property purchase, according to new data from equity release lender more2life.

Over the same period (January to August 2021 vs. January to August 2020), we also saw a 113% increase in the amount of equity used to fund property purchases.

More2life said this increase coincided with the introduction of the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) holiday in July 2020 and highlights how over-55s are increasingly using equity release to help them move home – often to be close to family, friends or amenities. Property purchase cases increasing by 208% between H1 2020 and H2 2020 and while this started to slow as the SDLT holiday deadline loomed, property purchases funded by equity release were still 234% higher than H1 2020.

The average property purchased with the support of equity release was £362,742 which is slightly higher than the average for all properties (£355,155) and the amount release (£91,603) was also higher (£85,541).

Dave Harris (pictured), CEO at more2life, said: “It’s clear from these figures that the SDLT holiday proved to be an opportunity for retirees looking to purchase their forever homes, and that many of them have turned to equity release to boost their buying power. The dramatic rise in equity release used for property purchases since the first half of 2020 highlights how unlocking property wealth is a viable solution to help retirees obtain the home they desire, whether that’s to meet their changing needs in retirement or to move closer to family and friends.

“While the tapered SDLT holiday might be coming to an end soon, equity release will remain a valuable tool for over-55s looking to purchase their dream home. However, there is still much education that needs to be done as many consumers and even some advisers don’t realise that this is a viable way of funding a house move. Advisers have a key role to play in alerting clients to this option and then helping to guide them through the process.”