Andrew Card
Equity Release Specialist
Based in Central London, Andrew is an experienced private client equity release adviser with over two decades of experience specialising in mortgages and the later life lending market, having previously worked at Coutts bank. Andrew has worked with London homeowners for many years and has gained a vast understanding of London property values, equity release products and how they can support people in achieving their financial goals in later life.
I am a professionally qualified Financial Adviser based in London and the South East with over two decades of experience specialising in mortgages and the later life lending market, having previously spent almost 40 years as a Private Banker.
Throughout my career, my focus has always been on delivering high-quality financial advice, building strong client relationships, and providing exceptional customer service. I take pride in placing my clients at the centre of everything I do, ensuring their financial needs, priorities, and long-term objectives are fully understood and met.
I specialise in Lifetime Mortgages, offering whole-of-market advice in a clear, open, and straightforward manner. My approach is to ensure that every recommendation is suitable not only for my clients’ current circumstances, but also supports their future financial wellbeing.
I am authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and a member of the Equity Release Council.
Equity Release Advice in London
At Bower Home Finance, we provide clear and responsible equity release advice to help London homeowners understand the options available to them. Equity release is a long-term financial commitment that may reduce the value of your estate and affect your entitlement to means-tested benefits. It is important to consider all alternatives and seek independent advice before proceeding. Our advisers follow the highest standards set by the Equity Release Council, ensuring every client receives information that is accurate, impartial and designed to help you make informed decisions.
We offer expert mortgage advice and guidance on a range of equity release products, always ensuring you fully understand how each option may affect your future, your estate, and your long-term finances.
If you are interested in learning more about equity release in London, and whether it is the right option for you, book an appointment with Andrew Card today.
Professional Equity Release Advice in London
Our London equity release advisers provide accurate and up-to-date information on the equity release market, including how different equity release lenders structure their products, how interest rates work over time, and what protections are in place. We explain the process clearly, ensuring you understand each stage before you proceed.
Our advisers also outline the requirement for you to seek independent legal advice, which ensures you are completely happy with the documentation before completion. This forms an essential part of ensuring you select a suitable equity release plan and a suitable solution for your individual circumstances.
Using Equity Release However You Choose
Whether you wish to release a tax-free lump sum to support family members, supplement retirement income, fund home improvements, or manage the costs involved in later life, our guidance is specifically tailored to your individual circumstances.
London’s cost of living is approximately 27% higher than the UK average, which means many London homeowners choose equity release to supplement their income and maintain the lifestyle they have worked hard to build. Our adviser Andrew Card will explain how equity release works and answer any questions you may have.
Types of equity release in London
The most common types of equity release plans are Lifetime Mortgage and Home Reversion plans.
When releasing equity from your London home, it is important to understand the different solutions available. Equity release is a significant financial decision, and our advisers ensure you remain informed, protected and in control throughout the whole process.
We explain the benefits and considerations of each equity release option, how they may affect your estate, and why independent legal advice is required for your protection. As proud members of the Equity Release Council, we follow strict safeguards designed to give you confidence and peace of mind throughout your equity release journey.
Lifetime Mortgage
A lifetime mortgage is the most popular equity release plan in London, allowing UK homeowners to borrow money secured against their home while retaining full ownership. You can access tax-free cash without mandatory monthly payments, or choose to make voluntary monthly payments to manage the interest. Your adviser will explain how each approach may affect the value of your estate over time.
- No mandatory monthly payments
- Must be aged 55+
- Available on properties valued over £70,000+
Home Reversion Plans
Home reversion plans involve selling part or all of your London home at a discounted rate, while continuing to live there rent-free for the rest of your life or until you move into long-term care. This equity release option provides clarity over the remaining share of your estate and may be appropriate for clients seeking certainty over their financial situation rather than flexibility.
- For homeowners aged 60+
- Sell all or a percentage of your home with no rental charge
- No interest to pay on the money you release
Interest Payment Lifetime Mortgages
Gain an interest rate discount to help reduce your cost of borrowing by agreeing to make monthly payments toward the interest. This can be a tax-efficient way to manage the loan secured against your property over the longer term.
- For homeowners aged 55+
- Own your own home with a property value of at least £99,000
- May require proof that you can afford the monthly payments
Drawdown vs Lump sum Plan
With a drawdown lifetime mortgage, you can access an initial amount and then withdraw further funds when needed. This helps you manage accrued interest more efficiently and gives you ongoing flexibility as your financial situation changes.
A lump sum option provides a larger tax-free lump sum at the outset, ideal for home improvements, major purchases, financial gifts to family members, or clearing an existing mortgage or outstanding mortgage balance.
Your adviser will help you understand which approach best suits your financial goals.
Get More Out Of Later Life With Equity Release
Whether that is through making those vital home improvements, heading on a trip of a lifetime, helping loved ones onto the property ladder the choice is yours. Equity release allows UK homeowners aged 55 and over to unlock tax-free cash from the value of their property without moving out. The equity tied up in your London home is often one of your greatest financial assets, and an increasing number of people are choosing to release money from that wealth tied up in their property to help boost their retirement income.
The value of your London home, minus any outstanding mortgage and any other loans secured against it, is the equity you hold. After years of making monthly payments, your property is likely your most significant financial asset particularly if you have benefitted from London’s long-term property price growth over the last few decades.
Equity Release Plans and Responsible Guidance
We work across the whole of market, ensuring you have access to the best lifetime mortgage products and equity release plans available. Our London equity release advisers provide ethical, impartial advice, and clear explanations of how each loan secured against your property will operate, including how compound interest accumulates over time and how early repayment charges may apply.
We ensure you fully understand:
- How interest rates and compound interest accumulate over time
- How the equity release process works from initial consultation to completion
- How your age, property value, and individual circumstances influence how much equity you can release
- How your estate and potential inheritance may be affected
- What protections are offered by the Equity Release Council, including the no negative equity guarantee
- What other alternatives may be available to you
Our aim is to help London homeowners make informed decisions without pressure, ensuring you only proceed when you feel confident.
Equity Release in the Surrounding Areas
Equity release in Kensington
Kensington is one of London’s most prestigious and culturally rich neighbourhoods, home to Kensington Palace, the Royal Albert Hall, and world-renowned museums including the Victoria and Albert, the Natural History Museum, and the Science Museum. Its streets are lined with grand Georgian townhouses, elegant red-brick mansion blocks, and sought-after mews properties homes that have typically seen exceptional long-term growth in market value, meaning many residents have significant equity tied up in their property. If you are a homeowner in Kensington considering equity release, our adviser Andrew Card can visit you at home or arrange a telephone appointment at a time that suits you, book your free consultation today.
Equity release in Mayfair
Mayfair has long been regarded as one of the most coveted addresses in the world, bordered by Hyde Park, Bond Street, and Piccadilly, and defined by its quiet leafy residential squares, Georgian architecture, and exceptional quality of life. Long-term London homeowners here have benefitted from some of the highest property values in the United Kingdom, making it an area where equity release can unlock truly significant tax-free cash. If you are exploring equity release in Mayfair, use our free equity release calculator to get an estimate of the maximum amount you may be eligible to release from your home.
Equity release in Hampstead
Nestled in North London, Hampstead has a character entirely its own, a historic village feel, cobbled streets, and the sweeping 800-acre Hampstead Heath on its doorstep, offering panoramic views across the city. With a rich intellectual and artistic heritage, home to the likes of Keats, Freud, and Elgar, and an extraordinary concentration of long-established wealth, Hampstead homeowners have often built-up significant equity in their properties over the decades. If you are considering equity release in Hampstead, contact Andrew Card today to arrange a free, no-obligation consultation.
Why Choose Bower Home Finance?
Whole of Market Advice
We research the whole of the equity release market, covering equity release lenders and lifetime mortgage products to help you compare features such as interest rates, early repayment charges, drawdown options, and safeguards, so you can make informed decisions.
Experienced, Specialist Advisers
Later life lending is a specialist area with long-term implications. Your London equity release adviser will explain the pros and cons in plain English, check suitability against your individual circumstances, and provide a personalised recommendation based on your financial situation and financial goals.
Equity Release Council Standards
As members of the Equity Release Council, we follow product standards designed to protect customers, including the no negative equity guarantee on qualifying plans, fixed or capped interest rates, and clear explanations of all key features and risks.
Clear Fees, No Obligation Upfront
Your initial appointment is free and without obligation. The cost to set up an equity release plan typically includes an advice fee, legal advice from a solicitor, and any product fees, we will confirm all costs involved to you before you commit to anything.
Trusted by Leading Lenders
Around the UK
How Much Can I Release?
The amount of equity you can release depends on your age, your London property value, and your health and lifestyle. Generally, the older the youngest homeowner, the more you can release. Equity release calculators can provide an estimate of the maximum amount you may be eligible to release, often indicating a loan–to–value ratio of around 29.5%, though your exact eligibility will depend on your individual circumstances and the lender’s criteria. Some equity release lenders also take health and lifestyle into account, which could allow you to release a higher initial amount.
A Holistic Approach to Retirement Planning by Accessing Your Property Wealth
For the majority of London residents, property is our biggest store of wealth, more so than even our pensions. Yet home equity is currently used far less than pensions in retirement income planning. Thinking more holistically about the wealth tied up in your home, alongside your other financial products and retirement mortgages, will help ensure you are better equipped to achieve the retirement you want. Equity release is one of a number of financial goals–driven tools that can help UK homeowners access the value locked in their property to fund their later life.
What Are the Disadvantages of Equity Release?
Equity release will reduce the value of your estate and the amount that will go to the people named as beneficiaries in your will. With a home reversion plan, the home reversion company owns all or a part-share of your London home.
A lifetime mortgage is a loan secured against your property. If you do not make monthly payments toward the interest, the original loan amount increases through compound interest, meaning the amount owed to the last borrower’s estate may be significantly higher than the initial amount borrowed.
Equity release may also cancel or reduce your entitlement to means-tested benefits, now or in the future, as the released funds may be treated as income or capital. Receiving a tax-free lump sum may also reduce the money available for future long-term care costs.
Our Commitment to Keep You Protected.
All our equity release lenders are members of the Equity Release Council, and we only ever recommend equity release plans that meet their high standards. For your added protection, your solicitor will carry out all the legal work. We also have a panel of Equity Release Council independent solicitors you can choose from, if that would help. These legal safeguards mean you are protected throughout your equity release journey.
5 Equity Release Safeguards to Protect You.
This means you or your family will never owe more than the market value of your home when it is sold.
You retain the right to remain in your London home for life, providing it remains your main residence.
All customers taking out new lifetime mortgage products that meet the Equity Release Council standards must have the right to make penalty-free payments, subject to lending criteria.
You can move to another suitable property subject to the new property meeting the lender’s criteria.
It is your right to seek independent advice from an equity release solicitor of your choice.
Over 55 years old
Be aged 55 or over (youngest applicant if you are applying as a couple).
Home ownership
Must own your own home worth over £70,000.
Live in the UK
Must live and have permanent residency in the UK.
Main residency
The property must be your main residence although there are products for buy to let properties and holiday homes.
Equity coverage on balance
The equity you release must pay off any remaining mortgage or secured loan.
Request a Callback
If you would like to learn more about equity release in London, you can request a free callback from Andrew Card, your local London equity release adviser. We will provide clear mortgage advice, explain the equity release process, and help you understand whether equity release is a suitable equity release option for your circumstances.
Our goal is to ensure every London homeowner receives responsible, transparent equity release advice and feels confident before they proceed.
IMPORTANT TO KNOW
At Bower Home Finance, we will understand your unique circumstances and advise you to ensure you are receiving the best plan to meet your objectives. There are plans that allow you to make voluntary repayments and move home, subject to lender criteria. However, early repayment charges may apply in certain circumstances.
Bower Home Finance provides independent, impartial whole of market equity release advice with an award-winning customer service experience. Initial advice is provided at no cost to you and without obligation. Only if you choose to proceed and your plan completes, would a typical advice and administration fee of £1,695 be payable.
Equity release requires paying off any existing mortgage. Any money released, plus accrued interest to be repaid upon death, or moving into long-term care. Equity release will reduce the value of your estate and your entitlement to means-tested benefits now or in the future, and impact long-term care funding. If you are considering equity release, we strongly recommend that you read our Equity Release page carefully and talk to one of our specialists before deciding if you wish to proceed.
To find out more about any of the products and the service we provide, please call us on freephone 0800 411 8668, request a call back, email us, or use our live chat on our website.
Please be aware that equity release may involve a home reversion plan or lifetime mortgage which is secured against your property. All features and risks are thoroughly explained in your free personalised illustration.