Martin Clarke
Equity Release & Later-Life Lending
Martin Clarke writes our equity release, RIO mortgage and downsizing content. He has worked in and around the UK mortgage market for two decades, including time at a high-street lender and as a contributor to industry trade press.
His guides are deliberately balanced — equity release can be the right answer for some households and the wrong answer for many others, and he believes readers deserve the full picture before they speak to a salesperson.
Martin is a strong advocate for considering downsizing and unclaimed benefits before any later-life borrowing decision.
Credentials
- CeMAP qualified
- Equity Release Council consumer reference panel — past contributor
Recent articles by Martin Clarke
- Equity release explained
What equity release is, the two main types — lifetime mortgages and home reversion — and how interest rolls up over time.
- Equity release: pros and cons
A balanced look at the benefits and the risks of equity release, including the no-negative-equity guarantee and the impact on your estate.
- Equity release alternatives
Downsizing, retirement interest-only mortgages, family loans and using savings — alternatives to consider before releasing equity.
- Lifetime mortgage vs retirement interest-only
How a lifetime mortgage compares to a retirement interest-only (RIO) mortgage, with worked examples of the long-term cost.
- Does equity release affect benefits?
Equity release can affect means-tested benefits like Pension Credit and Council Tax Reduction. Here is how — and what to check first.
- Equity release for care costs
When equity release might fund care at home, the risks, and lower-cost alternatives such as deferred payment agreements with the council.