The lender, or reversion company, will then receive their 35 per cent share of the home, whose value will invariably have risen, when the property is sold or the owner dies.Homeowners need to weigh their options up very carefully before going ahead with any equity release scheme. Not only are they raising a substantial sum of money, but the rest of the family may be involved, too. “It may take several months of inter-family discussions and cash calculations before a final decision is reached,” says Tim Russell of Hinton and Wild (Home Plans), the UK’s main ER advisers.In 1990, the financial regulators banned several ER companies, after owners who had joined schemes were hit by negative equity problems when they tried to sell their homes. The following year, four lenders formed a self-regulatory group called SHIP (Safe Home Income Plans). Its members follow a code of practice, are supported by the charity, Age Concern, and all their schemes are insured against negative equity.”The popularity of equity release and reversion schemes has spiralled in the last two years. A progressively older population of parents can now unlock their capital to improve their ‘ember’ [post-retirement] years, buy long-term care or nursing, and also help out their offspring early and so avoid future inheritance tax,” adds Russell.Age Concern’s free fact sheet, ‘Raising income or capital from your home’, is available from .uk or by phoning 0800 009966; the latest version of Age Concern’s book ‘Using Your Home as Capital’ (£4.99 plus £1.95 p&p) can be obtained via the website or by calling 0870 4422044.

Hinton & Wild can be contacted on 0800 3288432 or at . It’s easy to see why France remains a top destination for increasing numbers of British buyers. Only a few miles across the Channel lies a country as varied as ours but on a much vaster scale, miles of sandy beaches, infinitely better food than you’ll find in our UK ports and – the biggest draw for British buyers sick of spiralling property prices – more space for your cash. Moneynetmortgagesearches It’s easy to see why France remains a top destination for increasing numbers of British buyers. Traditionally, the Dordogne and the Loire have been favourites but with prices in these popular areas still rising, and supplies of the more sought-after typically French houses dwindling, many UK buyers are now searching out lesser-known areas which, thanks to the proliferation of budget air travel, are becoming ever more accessible.Ari? is one destination which is rapidly growing in popularity.

Within the Midi-Pyr?es, it lies between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean in south-west France and borders Spain and Andorra to the south. The nearest major city in the region is Toulouse, about an hour away from Ari?’s largest towns of Foix and St Girons. This area is particularly attractive to English buyers because the nearby popular towns of Carcassonne and Perpignan also border the region, and Ryanair now serves both towns from Stansted airport. Buzz also has flights from Stansted to Toulouse.The Live France Group recently opened a new branch in the Midi-Pyr?es after its director, Philippa Bowman, discovered that the area offered not only scenic charm but a wealth of opportunities. As she says: “It’s got a dramatic landscape of pine forests and gorges, but the rolling countryside is a bit like England.

It’s very good for farm properties with land which you can’t get in Languedoc.”Live France is a property search organisation that sources properties for English-speaking buyers from a wide range of agencies. Bowman set up the company after moving to France in July 2000 and describes the experience of buying a property in those days as a bit like pulling teeth “It was very difficult doing it from the UK. We’d come over regularly expecting to see specific properties but were often disappointed. Agents simply didn’t return our calls or would show us totally unsuitable properties.”Live France currently has properties to suit all budgets.