Vida Launches Enhanced ‘Next Chapter Lending’ Proposition
23 July 2026
Vida Launches Enhanced ‘Next Chapter Lending’ Proposition to Support More Borrowers Into and Through Retirement.
Refreshed later life lending criteria designed to give brokers greater certainty and flexibility when supporting customers at every stage of homeownership.
Vida has launched Next Chapter Lending, an enhanced later life lending proposition designed to help brokers support a wider range of borrowers, from later first-time buyers and mid-life movers to customers remortgaging in retirement.
The specialist lender has refreshed its lending into retirement criteria to provide greater clarity, consistency and transparency for brokers placing cases where mortgage terms extend beyond a customer’s working life.
The proposition reflects the changing shape of homeownership in the UK, with increasing numbers of borrowers purchasing their first home later in life, moving home in their 50s and maintaining mortgage commitments into retirement.
Under the updated criteria, Vida now defines lending into retirement as any mortgage where the term extends beyond a customer’s expected retirement age or beyond their 76th birthday, whichever comes first. The changes are intended to reduce uncertainty and provide brokers with clearer guidance when assessing affordability for customers approaching or entering retirement.
The enhanced proposition is designed to support three key customer groups:
Later First-Time Buyers
As more borrowers enter the property market in their 40s and 50s, Next Chapter Lending helps provide access to affordable homeownership while offering greater certainty around future affordability and retirement planning.
Mid-Life Movers
For customers over 50 looking to move into a long-term home, the proposition provides stable and flexible borrowing options.
Retirement Re-Planners
The proposition also supports borrowers in later life who are looking to remortgage, whether to fund home improvements and adaptations, assist family members financially or better manage household costs in retirement.
Key Criteria Highlights
Under the refreshed approach:
- Lending into retirement applies where the mortgage term extends beyond a customer’s expected retirement age or age 76, whichever is lower.
- For customers within 10 years of retirement, affordability is assessed using the lower of current earned income or projected retirement income.
- For customers with more than 10 years until retirement, current income may be used where active pension contributions are being made.
- Where most of the mortgage term falls within retirement (>50%), affordability is based on the lower current or projected income figure.
- Mortgage terms must end before the customer reaches age 86.
Supporting Clients Through Every Chapter
The launch forms part of Vida’s ongoing commitment to helping brokers meet the evolving needs of borrowers whose homeownership journeys no longer follow traditional timelines.
Ross Williams, Head of Mortgage Product Management, said:
“Homeownership journeys are becoming increasingly diverse, and borrowers’ needs are evolving far beyond traditional life stages. Our enhanced Next Chapter Lending proposition builds on the flexible criteria we already offer, including solutions such as Joint Borrower Sole Proprietor, to help more people access and sustain homeownership. By providing greater clarity around lending into retirement and recognising a range of income sources, including pension income, we’re giving brokers more confidence when supporting customers whose mortgage needs extend beyond their working lives.
“Whether it’s a first-time buyer purchasing later in life, a family using additional income to support a loved one onto the property ladder, or a borrower planning confidently for retirement, our aim is the same: to give brokers the tools, certainty and flexibility they need to help more customers find a place to call home.”
By providing clearer criteria and greater certainty around lending into and during retirement, Vida aims to make it easier for intermediaries to support customers throughout every stage of life - from first homes and next homes to long-term retirement plans.
