A new survey of over-50s homeowners* reveals that 88% are still paying off their mortgage, and over a third (36%) have more than 10 years of repayments left before it’s fully paid off.
With the current average retirement age in the UK currently standing at 66 and expected to hit 67 between 2026-2028, this means that a large proportion of homeowners are destined to still be paying off their mortgage well into retirement.
Despite this, only 6% of respondents say that they have considered equity release to help pay off their mortgage.
Of those 6%, 57% have considered releasing equity through a Lifetime Mortgage, while just 34% have considered downsizing their property.
This strikingly low proportion of people considering downsizing comes despite the fact that doing so can release a huge chunk of equity*. In fact, further research from Regency Living reveals that downsizing to a certain property type can immediately release 70% of equity if not more.
How much equity can be released by downsizing to a park home?
Many over-50s who are well-positioned to release equity through downsizing will currently live in a larger family home, such as a detached property. Regency Living’s analysis of house price data* shows that the current average price for a detached home in England is £459,675.
If a downsizer were to sell their existing home at this price and use the funds to purchase a flat, for which the current average price is £252,604, they would generate an equity release of 45% (£207,071).
However, if you were to downsize to a park home instead of a flat, the potential equity release is significantly higher.
The average price of a park home property in England is £144,748. So downsizing from a detached house would generate an equity release of 68.5% (-£314,928).
In the hugely popular park home regions of the South East and South West, the equity release potential release is even greater still at 77.4% (-£496,885) and 70.1% (-£338,897) respectively.
Sales & Marketing Director at Regency Living, Tim Simmons commented:
“Downsizing is a great way of ridding yourself of mortgage debt before you enter retirement, freeing yourself of any concerns about being able to afford repayments once the reassurance of a regular salary is gone. And by downsizing to a park home, the amount of cash you’re going to release will not only cover any outstanding mortgage loans and buy your new home, but could also leave you with a handsome lump sum to put towards living your retirement to its fullest.
Park homes aren’t only a great downsizing choice because of their relative affordability, but many park home providers offer a part exchange service, allowing you to not only secure 100% of the market value of your home, but also providing you with a concrete timeframe with respect to your home move.
Park homes also provide you with a safe, secure home where you can live as part of a like-minded community surrounded by neighbours of a similar age. Park home sites are also often located in some of the country’s most beautiful and desirable areas, whether it’s the Great British countryside or overlooking our magnificent coasts.”
Data tables, sources, and notes
- *Survey of 2,152 over-50s homeowners carried out by a third party on behalf of Regency Living via consumer research platform Find Out Now (3rd February 2025).
- *In the context of downsizing, equity release is the money that a person generates by selling their property. For example, if you were to sell a £1m home and then use that money to downsize to a £500,000 home, the money left over would be your equity release which, in this scenario, stands at 50%, or £500,000.
- *Average price of a detached property sourced from the UK House Price Index.
- *Average park home price sourced from Rightmove (correct as of 03/02/25).
- Full data tables and survey results can be viewed online, here.
