Equity Release Solicitors

What is equity release?

Equity release allows a homeowner over 55 years of age to gain access to their property’s value, without the need to sell their home or move. There are two main types of equity release:

• Lifetime mortgage – this is the most widely used form of equity release. You borrow a sum against your home, but you still have full ownership over the property. The interest accumulates over time, and the loan is repaid when you die or when you move into long-term care.
• Home reversion plan – this is when you sell a portion of your property to a provider, in exchange for regular payments or a fixed sum. You still have the right to live there without paying rent for the rest of your life.

Our solicitors will be able to help you understand which route is right for you before you proceed with your equity release.

Our equity release services

Our equity release solicitors offer comprehensive legal support throughout your equity release journey, including:

Review and advice

We thoroughly examine your equity release documents received from your lender, ensuring all terms, conditions, interest rates and early repayment charges are clear to you. Our team will identify any clauses that could impact your flexibility or financial position in the future.

Verifying your key protections

We verify that essential protections are in place, including the no negative equity guarantee, your right to remain in your home for life, and provisions for moving to alternative suitable accommodation. These safeguards are fundamental to a secure equity release arrangement.

Estate and inheritance implications

Our team explains clearly how releasing equity will affect your estate value and what this means for your beneficiaries. Where necessary or requested, we can refer you to our Wills, Life Planning and Probate team to ensure your equity release decision fits within your broader estate planning strategy.

Independent legal representation

As required by the Equity Release Council, we act independently, protecting your interests throughout. We’re on hand to ensure you understand each step of the process, guiding you through any legal procedures that may feel complex, so you’re always confident where you stand.

Full conveyancing support

We handle all legal formalities, from ID verification and anti-money laundering checks, through to Land Registry registration, keeping you updated at every stage of the process.

Liaison with all parties

We liaise with your equity release adviser, the lender, and any other professionals involved in your case, managing the process efficiently so you don’t have to.

How our equity release process works

Step 1 – Initial consultation and review

Once you’ve chosen your equity release plan with an adviser, you’ll instruct us to act as your solicitor. We’ll request all relevant documentation from the lender and review the offer.

Step 2 – Thorough legal review

Our team conducts a comprehensive review of your equity release contract, examining every term and condition. We check interest rates, early repayment charges, downsizing provisions and any restrictions on your property. We also verify that all required protections are included and that the scheme complies with Equity Release Council standards.

Step 3 – Clear advice and recommendations

We arrange a consultation to discuss your circumstances and answer any questions. This meeting can take place at any of our offices across Essex, so you can choose the one that’s most convenient. We provide you with detailed, jargon-free advice about what you’re agreeing to and the long-term implications. This includes explaining how the loan will grow over time, the impact on your estate, potential effects on means-tested benefits and your options, should your circumstances change. We’ll also discuss any concerns we have and suggest amendments where appropriate.

Step 4 – Completion and registration

Once you’re ready to proceed and are confident with your decision, we handle all completion formalities. We ensure funds are released correctly, register the charge against your property with the Land Registry, and provide you with all final documentation.

Step 5 – Post-Completion Support

After completion, we’ll send you a comprehensive completion pack with all your legal documents. Should you need any advice in the future about your equity release arrangement, our team is always here to help.

Why choose Fisher Jones Greenwood as your equity release solicitors?

Our solicitors are members of the Equity Release Council, the industry body that sets and maintains professional standards for equity release advice. This membership demonstrates our commitment to best practice and ensures we stay updated with the latest regulations and developments in equity release law.

Our team has over 40 years of experience providing legal advice across East Anglia, and our residential conveyancing team handles around 3,000 property transactions annually, giving us insight into property law and equity release matters. We’ve been recognised in the Legal 500 2026 rankings and are known for our technical expertise and client care.

We’ll always be transparent when it comes to fees, and our equity release legal service is charged at a fixed fee of £1,000 + VAT (and any relevant disbursements), which covers all work required to complete the equity release element of the transaction. If you are purchasing with the assistance of equity release, there will be further costs and disbursements required. Each quotation will be tailored to your situation along with any additional costs and third-party costs that we would expect to incur.