Can you move house after equity release?

Yes, you can usually move house after equity release. Lenders that follow Equity Release Council standards let you take your lifetime mortgage to a new home, known as porting, provided the new property meets their lending criteria. Moving somewhere cheaper may mean repaying part of the loan, and charges can apply.

This guide explains how moving works, what happens if you downsize, and the costs to check. It is general information, not advice. For the basics, see our equity release guide. For the other conditions of living in your home with an equity release plan, such as upkeep and lodgers, see our separate guide.

How to move house after equity release

Porting means transferring the outstanding loan, including interest already added, from your current home to your new one, rather than repaying it because you are moving.

The key condition is that the new home meets your lender's criteria at the time of the move. Lenders typically look at:

• property type and construction
• location and condition
• minimum property value
• lease length, if the home is leasehold
• whether it is retirement or sheltered housing, which some lenders treat differently

The usual process

1. Check your plan. Your offer and key facts documents set out portability, early repayment charges and any downsizing protection.
2. Speak to your lender early, ideally before making an offer, to confirm the new property is likely to be acceptable.
3. The lender values the new home to check it meets criteria and supports the loan.
4. Solicitors handle the sale and purchase, and the loan moves across on completion, with any partial repayment taken from the sale proceeds.

The timescale is usually similar to any other move, with the lender's valuation and legal checks as extra steps.

Moving to a similar or more expensive home

This is the simplest case. If your new home is worth the same or more, the existing loan usually transfers on the same terms with no repayment needed. Some lenders may let you borrow more, subject to your age, the new property's value and their criteria, but that increases the debt and the interest that builds up on it.

Moving to a cheaper home

If your new home is worth less, the maximum loan the lender will allow on it may be lower than what you owe. You could then need to repay part of the loan from the sale proceeds.

An early repayment charge (ERC) may apply to that repayment. How ERCs are worked out varies, and they can be significant in the early years of a plan. Our article on equity release early repayment charges explains more.

Downsizing protection

Some lifetime mortgages include downsizing protection, which waives the ERC if you repay because you are moving to a home that does not support the full loan. It often applies only after the plan has been running for a minimum period, such as five years, and terms vary between lenders.

Not every plan has it, so check your documents before assuming a move will be charge-free.

If the new property does not qualify

If the new home does not meet your lender's criteria, porting may not be possible. You would then usually repay the loan in full from the sale, which could mean:

• an early repayment charge, unless an exemption applies. On some plans this can be a significant sum, with fixed charges commonly set as a percentage of the amount borrowed, for example 5% to 10% in the early years
• taking out a new plan on the new property, possibly on different terms
• not using equity release again, if you no longer need it

Costs to consider when moving

Even when porting goes smoothly, moving is not cost-free. Costs can include:

• a valuation of the new property, which may carry a fee
• lender or legal fees for transferring the loan
• the usual costs of moving, such as solicitor's fees, surveys, removals and Stamp Duty Land Tax (or Land and Buildings Transaction Tax in Scotland and Land Transaction Tax in Wales)

If you are moving to free up money, our guides to downsizing and equity release vs downsizing compare the options.

Plan terms differ, so an FCA-regulated adviser can check how yours would work before you commit to a move. We do not provide financial advice.

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Written and reviewed by the Later Life editorial team. Last updated 25 September 2026.