Manage your equity release plan

We understand bereavement can be a very difficult time and we try to make the process of informing us of a death as simple as possible. Please call or write to our specialist team. We’ll need an original or certified copy (from a solicitor) of the death certificate.

If the policy is in joint names and one borrower dies, the lifetime mortgage will continue in the sole name of the remaining borrower. And, we will need to be notified to amend our records.

When the last or only policyholder dies, the lifetime mortgage is usually paid back to us from the sale of the property, with any money left over going to the beneficiaries. The estate of the policyholder has up to 12 months to repay the lifetime mortgage with interest accruing daily until it is repaid. The home and buildings insurance must remain in force until the repayment date.

Your solicitor will be able to advise if you need to apply for probate. Please call us if you need outstanding balance figures to assist with your probate application. 

To find out your outstanding balance, please visit my MyAviva. Alternatively, we can tell you your outstanding balance over the phone free of charge or you can request a written statement.  

When you’ve held your lifetime mortgage for one year, our voluntary partial repayment feature allows you to make voluntary partial repayments, with no early repayment charges to pay.

The maximum you can repay each year is 10% of the total overall amount you have borrowed from us and the minimum you can repay at each instalment is £500. We can accept up to four instalments each year. Voluntary partial repayments can’t be made within 12 months of taking additional borrowing or cash reserve releases. 

This option is only available to those who applied for their lifetime mortgage on or after 28 April 2014.

If you want to repay your lifetime mortgage in full, please call us to discuss your situation.

We can calculate if you’re able to borrow more and will refer you to a financial adviser if you’re eligible. Alternatively you can speak to your own adviser.

If you have a Cash Reserve Option or a Lifestyle Flexible Option plan, you may have a reserve already allocated to you which could allow you to have further funds immediately.

Please call us if you want to find out about borrowing more.

Please call or write to us with any changes to your personal details.

How we assess your need for long-term care

Our definition of long-term care is where you need permanent care from another person or other people, either to help you to perform two or more Activities of Daily Living (“ADL’s”), or because you’re suffering from dementia. More details about ADL’s and dementia can be found in our terms and conditions.  If you consider that you require long-term care, we may send you an assessment form to complete. 

We will never ask you to leave your home just because you need long-term care. For example, if you can arrange for your long-term care to be provided in your home, you may not need to leave your property or repay your lifetime mortgage. You can continue to live in your home until you pass away or move out to receive permanent long-term care away from your home, following which your lifetime mortgage must be repaid.

For more information about how we assess the need for long-term care and repayment of the lifetime mortgage, please see our terms and conditions.  Your financial adviser will also be able to help you with this.

Please call us to:

Check if you can move property
If your new property meets our lending criteria at the time and we agree that you can, then you can move home and take your lifetime mortgage with you. 

Tell us if somebody is moving in to the property
However, in some circumstances we may require documentation to be signed by the non-borrowing occupant. If they would like to become a joint owner after you’ve taken out your lifetime mortgage, you’ll need to inform us about this as soon as possible.

Discuss removing someone from the plan
If you’ve taken out a joint lifetime mortgage, it may be the case that one of you decides to leave the property. If this happens you must tell us as soon as possible. You won’t have to repay the loan, but we will transfer your home and lifetime mortgage into the name of the remaining borrower. We’ll send you a form to complete and you’ll need to appoint a solicitor to carry out the legal work.  

Let us know that you’re thinking about making structural changes to the property
It maybe possible to do this but this will depend on the type of alterations you are planning to make. We may require sight of your plans and building regulation approvals before we can confirm our acceptance.

See if we have the deeds to your property
Each plan is different so please call us to check.