LiveMore lowers minimum age to 40 as midlife mortgage crisis grows

16 March 2026

Lender announces shift from later life specialist to problem solver for complex needs

LiveMore has reduced its minimum borrower age from 50 to 40, addressing increasing financial pressures faced by midlife borrowers and responding to rising demand for mortgage solutions that extend into retirement.

The lender will continue offering its full range of later life lending products, now expanding to support borrowers aged 40 and above with complex mortgage needs both before and during retirement.

This change reflects broader shifts in borrowing patterns, with around 40% of new mortgages now extending beyond a borrower’s pension age. Those aged 40 to 49 represent the largest share of these cases[i].

Leon Diamond, LiveMore CEO, said:

“40% of new mortgages now run beyond pension age, and the biggest group taking them out are people in their 40s. Yet many of these borrowers still struggle to access lending because traditional models don’t fairly assess complex finances. By the time people reach their 40s, life starts to get financially complicated. Divorce, self-employment, career changes, caring responsibilities and retirement planning can all affect how someone borrows. The industry often treats later life borrowing as a niche issue, but the reality is, this starts much earlier. What we’re seeing is a midlife mortgage crisis, not just a later life one.”

ONS data shows divorce rates peak for both men and women in their 40s[ii]. Over half (57%) of ‘sandwich carers’, those caring for both dependent children and older relatives, are aged between 45 and 64[iii]. Research from IPSE indicates the average age of the UK’s self-employed population is 48[iv].

Diamond continued, “Later life lending is no longer niche, it’s becoming mainstream. More people are planning mortgages that run through, or even begin in, retirement. By expanding our proposition to include borrowers from age 40, we’re helping brokers support clients earlier, particularly those already thinking about how their mortgage will work throughout retirement.”

This change is supported by LiveMore’s Mortgage Matcher® technology, which enables brokers to unlock maximum affordable borrowing for clients in minutes by generating an accurate snapshot of their current and future affordability. The system assesses over 250 LiveMore products across multiple categories, including capital and interest, interest-only, part and part, retirement interest-only (RIO), and equity release, helping brokers identify the most suitable solutions.

“I founded LiveMore to provide solutions for later life borrowers, but our ability to solve complex cases means we’re perfectly placed to help the 40+ market as well,” adds Diamond. “With pioneering technology, common-sense underwriting and a broad range of products, we’re helping brokers turn more “NOs” into “YESs”. Cases that might once have been difficult to place now have a home with LiveMore.”

A free to use version of the LiveMore Mortgage Matcher® is available for brokers to try out on the LiveMore website.

[i] https://news.sky.com/story/ultra-long-mortgages-leave-serious-questions-for-lenders-ex-pensions-minister-warns-13134937?utm_source=chatgpt.com
[ii] www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/divorce/bulletins/divorcesinenglandandwales/2017?utm_source=chatgpt.com
[iii] www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/socialcare/bulletins/sandwichcarersuk/latest?utm_source=chatgpt.com
[iv] www.ipse.co.uk/campaigns/the-self-employed-landscape/self-employed-landscape-2024?utm_source=chatgpt.com