Equity release fees and costs: what you will pay

Equity release fees cover advice, arrangement, valuation and a solicitor; MoneyHelper puts the total at £1,500 to £3,000. Here is what each part costs.

If you are asking what equity release will cost, the answer comes in two parts: the fees to set a plan up, and the interest and any early repayment charge over the life of the loan. This guide takes each fee in turn, from MoneyHelper's free guidance and two lenders' own figures. Fees for your own plan appear in the paperwork you get before you commit. For a qualified equity release adviser at an FCA-authorised firm to take you through them, put your name and number in the form on this page. Sending it is free, and any adviser has to make clear how they are paid.

What costs come with equity release?

MoneyHelper, the government-backed guidance service, lists the set-up costs together: "There can be substantial fees to apply, including charges for advice, solicitors, valuation, and arrangement. The total could be between £1,500 and £3,000." The range comes from a web archive snapshot of 19 September 2026: a guide, not a quote for any plan.

Aviva says much the same about its own lifetime mortgage: "The main charges for setting up a lifetime mortgage are an arrangement fee, valuation fee, adviser fees and legal fees. But all providers do things differently – some may not charge for an arrangement or valuation fee, for example, whereas others will."

Advice and adviser fees

Advice is part of taking out equity release, so the adviser's pay is part of the cost. The FCA's equity release chapter aims for advice in all cases, outside limited execution-only exceptions, and says firms "need to make clear to customers the range of equity release transactions available from them and the basis of the firm's remuneration" (FCA Handbook, MCOB 8.2.2G). For Equity Release Council members, the adviser's explanation covers set-up costs too.

How an adviser is paid varies. Legal & General's costs page says: "Some mortgage advisers charge a fixed fee for advice. Others may charge an advice fee that's a percentage of the total loan amount." Advisers also get a payment from the lender, it says, and "As a result, many advisers receive both an advice fee and payment." Aviva's page agrees that "Some providers might charge you fees for advice on their equity release products." So ask each adviser what it charges, and how, before you go ahead.

Where a lender's own route has no advice fee, the adviser is still paid. Aviva says that if you come to it directly and speak to an advice firm it has chosen, it pays your adviser commission instead, and that adviser "can only give advice about our lifetime mortgage". Legal & General says the payment behind its own advice service "is not a direct cost paid by you, but is included in the product charges and interest rate you pay if you decide to take out the product." MoneyHelper's first questions for any adviser include their fees and whether they search the whole market; how to find and check an adviser covers the rest. If someone approaches you out of the blue and presses you to decide quickly, the FCA's advice is to end the call; see its guide to protecting yourself from scams.

What the lender charges: arrangement, valuation and completion

Aviva describes the arrangement fee as helping "to cover the provider's costs in setting up your lifetime mortgage", and says that if there is one it appears in your personalised illustration. Of the valuation it says "some lenders won't charge you for this".

Legal & General's costs page, read on 18 October 2026, gives figures for its own lifetime mortgages: "We charge around £600 or, for some products, there is no arrangement fee at all. There is also a fee of £30 to transfer your money to your solicitor on completion." It adds that these "costs are not payable until your mortgage completes and the funds are released", and: "We don't charge a valuation fee". These are one lender's figures for its own products on that date, not the market and not a promise; it notes that "If you choose to use an independent adviser, these costs may differ."

Aviva, whose page was marked "Last updated: 15 Sept 2026", says there are "no set amounts for these fees"; of a fee for transferring money to your solicitor it says "With us, you won't be charged for this". The valuation itself is covered in how a lender values your home.

Fees sit next to the interest rate in an illustration, and the two are best read together. A qualified equity release adviser can do that for your home; a short note through the form on this page will be passed to one.

Solicitor's fees: independent legal advice is required

Independent legal advice is part of the process, and you pay your own solicitor for it. The Equity Release Council's standards, which its members follow, require it for every customer, and MoneyHelper says that once you have agreed a plan, "you’ll need to hire your own solicitor to check the details". The choice of solicitor is yours, though your adviser can suggest one; why you need a solicitor for equity release covers what they do.

The two figures we have are lenders' own pointers, not quotes and not a market survey. Aviva's costs page (updated 15 September 2026) says "A standard case can be around £750, but costs really vary depending on which solicitor you choose, from what firm, what they’re needed for, the type of property and things like that." Legal & General's page, read on 18 October 2026, says: "Equity release solicitor fees are around £860 but the average solicitor fees can vary, so it's worth comparing a few prices before you make your own decision." Both lenders, in other words, suggest comparing firms before choosing.

This guide covers the whole UK. On a Scottish home the lawyer's work differs in one respect: the loan is secured by a standard security under Scots law (section 9 of the Conveyancing and Feudal Reform (Scotland) Act 1970). The legal stages are in the conveyancing process.

Interest and early repayment charges

Interest is not a set-up fee, but on a roll-up lifetime mortgage it compounds, which Aviva says "can quickly increase the total amount owed", adding that the overall cost "depends on a number of factors including the amount borrowed, interest rate, how long the loan is in place and any fees or charges that may apply", which is why a fee total alone cannot tell you what a plan costs; equity release interest rates and how the interest builds up cover the interest.

Ending a plan early has its own cost. MoneyHelper counts early repayment charges among the drawbacks of equity release, and Aviva warns of "substantial early repayment charges" if you pay off all of your loan and interest early. Legal & General says: "If you choose to repay all or a significant part of the loan early, there may be an Early Repayment Charge." The amount is set by each plan's terms.

On plans from Equity Release Council members, its standards soften this: some repayment without charge, within the lender's lending criteria, and the early repayment charge waived on a permanent move into long-term care once the lender has a medical practitioner's certificate and the loan's terms have been met. Repaying equity release early goes into how repayment works.

Where to see the total for your own plan

Two documents put your own fees in writing. The Key Facts Illustration that comes with an adviser's recommendation sets out, in MoneyHelper's words, "the overall cost of the scheme and any fees to pay", and the lender's offer document lists "the fees" again. Aviva says its illustration shows "any fees you need to pay and when, before you agree to anything". MoneyHelper adds that it can be used to compare similar schemes from other providers, and that if you are unhappy or unsure when the offer arrives, you are free not to go ahead.

The fees are one part of a larger decision. Roll-up interest, a smaller estate, possible effects on means-tested benefits and early repayment charges all apply to equity release; our UK equity release guide sets them out once, and whether equity release is a good idea weighs them. How to get an equity release quote covers asking for the figures.

Questions people ask about equity release fees

Is there such a thing as equity release with no fees?

Some fees can be absent on some plans. Legal & General says "for some products, there is no arrangement fee at all" and that it charges no valuation fee, and Aviva says some lenders do not charge for arrangement or valuation. The solicitor still has to be paid, and the adviser is paid one way or another.

How much do solicitors charge for equity release?

The figures we have are two lenders' own: Aviva says a standard case "can be around £750" and Legal & General says "around £860", both adding that costs vary. Written estimates from a few firms are the way to compare.

When are equity release fees paid?

It depends on the lender. Legal & General says its arrangement and transfer fees are "not payable until your mortgage completes and the funds are released"; Aviva's illustration sets out when each of its fees is due. The adviser's fee and the solicitor's bill follow their own terms, so ask each when it falls due.

Is advice free if I go straight to a lender?

Not in the sense of costing nothing. Aviva and Legal & General each describe a route with no advice fee for their own lifetime mortgage, but the adviser is paid by the lender, and L&G says that payment is included in the product charges and interest rate.

Is there an equity release cost calculator?

Lenders publish calculators for how much you could release, covered in how much equity release you can get. The personalised illustration is what shows the cost of a real plan.

Next step

The fees that matter are the ones on your own illustration, with the adviser's pay set out in writing before anything is signed. MoneyHelper's guidance is free if you want to read more first. To hear your own likely costs explained by a qualified equity release adviser, fill in the short form on this page. The solicitor's part follows once a plan has been agreed.

Sources: MoneyHelper, What is equity release? (archived 19 September 2026); Equity Release Council, Professional Standards & Guarantees; Legal & General, How much does equity release cost? and Lifetime mortgages; Aviva, Equity release costs; FCA Handbook, MCOB 8.2; legislation.gov.uk, Conveyancing and Feudal Reform (Scotland) Act 1970, section 9. Accessed 18 October 2026.