London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jun 30, 2025

Fifty-year home loans would get more on ladder but come with risks

Fifty-year home loans would get more on ladder but come with risks

Analysis: longer mortgages would unlock the bind many renters find themselves in but could be expensive
A 50-year home loan might sound depressing to some, but perhaps not if the alternative is never being able to buy a property. Long-term fixed-rate mortgages are an emerging financial product that should in theory allow first-time buyers who are currently priced out of the market to get on the housing ladder.

By spreading the repayments over longer – the average for mortgages taken out this year is 29 years – buyers should be able to borrow up to eight times their income, rather than the current average of 3.2 times, say potential providers. The loans would be backed by borrowing from pension funds and insurance companies rather than against less stable consumer deposits, to satisfy the Bank of England’s prudential requirement.

A long-term fixed-rate mortgage could allow a household with a £50,000 annual income to borrow £400,000 instead of about £150,000, and thereby unlock the bind many renters find themselves in where they cannot get a mortgage on the property they live in despite repayments being lower than the rent.

It is an attempt to solve a serious problem. Last year full-time employees in England could typically expect to spend about 9.1 times their workplace-based annual earnings on buying a home; an increase from 7.9 times earnings in 2020, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Perenna, a new firm awaiting its licence, plans to offer the long-term loans. Its co-founder, Colin Bell, said: “Long-term fixed-rate loans really appeal to first-time buyers. One of the reasons they can’t get on the ladder is they don’t meet affordability tests that rightly have to take into account interest rate rises. They can get a mortgage, but it’s a small one.”

He said that as things stood lenders could make only 15% of their loans at a loan-to-income ratio above 4.5. The Bank of England would have to increase this for long-term fixed-rate mortgages to make them an option for more first-time buyers.

Fifty-year and other long-term mortgages would be transferable to other properties and, unlike conventional mortgages, could be bequeathed with a property after death, he said, though inheritance tax could be payable.

There are risks for consumers, said Nicholas Mendes, a mortgage technical manager at John Charcol, a mortgage broker. “The longer-term fixed rate could be more expensive over the course of the fixed-rate period,” he said.

UK Finance, the trade body for the banking and finance industry, said upsides included lower monthly payments and certainty over interest due. Downsides included paying more interest in the long term and building equity more slowly, and the mortgage term being likely to run into a customer’s retirement. It also said break charges could be higher.

Some fear initiatives such as long-term fixed-rate mortgages may be undermined by a lack of political drive to accelerate housebuilding, which could do more to solve the affordability crisis. About 340,000 new homes are needed each year in England, according to one estimate, compared with 216,000 built in 2019-20, the last year for which full figures are available.

“The government seems to be moving away from their commitment to build more houses,” said Paula Higgins, the chief executive of the Homeowners Alliance. “They are looking to stoke up demand through things like extending the right to buy [to affordable housing tenants]. But the reality is that average earnings and average house prices are getting further apart and we won’t be able to follow in the footsteps of our parents, when teachers and doctors were able to buy their own house.”

The impact of falling rates of homeownership has been socially significant. If the rate of ownership were to return to the level of the early 2000s, 1.4 million more families would now own their own homes. The political prize for a government that can reset that balance is considerable, but achieving it when house prices are rising at 10.5% a year remains extremely hard.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
Russian Shadow Payments via Cryptocurrency Reach $9 Billion
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
×