Your Home Finance
Still have a Help to Buy equity loan? The exit matters more than the scheme.
Lenders treat the equity loan as part of your mortgage structure. Remortgaging, part-repaying and exit timing usually decide the cost — not the scheme you originally bought under.
30+ years
scheme and exit advice
Equity loan
lenders known
Whole of market
access
Exit timing
modelled
Situation grid
Where are you with Help to Buy?
How your case is assessed
How lenders assess a Help to Buy remortgage
Your mortgage isn't the only charge on the property. The equity loan sits behind it, and that changes which lenders will help, what loan-to-value they'll work to, and how long the process takes.
The equity loan is part of the structure
Lenders assess the mortgage against the property with the equity loan still registered behind it. Some accept it comfortably, some restrict the loan-to-value they'll offer, and some won't take these cases at all — which is why the panel matters more than the rate table.
Current value, not what you borrowed
The equity loan is a percentage of the property, so what you repay is that percentage of today's value. If the property has risen, you owe more than you were originally lent — and a RICS valuation is required to establish the figure.
Interest and fees after year five
The equity loan is interest-free for the first five years. After that a fee starts and increases each year, alongside the monthly management fee. That change in cost is often what triggers the decision to remortgage or part-repay.
Administrator consent and timing
Any remortgage, part-repayment or redemption goes through the scheme administrator as well as the lender. Consents, valuations and paperwork all take time — starting late is the most common reason people drift onto their lender's standard variable rate.
You don't need to work out the sequence from the administrator's forms — we'll model the options and run the process alongside the mortgage.
Specialist insight
Two Help to Buy owners, two very different positions
Little equity growth · interest now running · deal ending soon
Higher challenge
Narrower panel with the loan in place · tight loan-to-value · timing pressure from both the administrator and the deal end date.
Good equity growth · clean payment record · time before deal ends
Real choice
Wider panel · part-repayment or full redemption becomes viable · the decision becomes cost and timing, not availability.
Independent reviews
Verified client reviews on Reviews.io
Live verified reviews — not cherry-picked on-page quotes.
Loading verified client reviews...
Your adviser
Jay Sabine
Expert mortgage adviser specialising in complex cases including adverse credit, self-employed borrowers, and first-time buyers. All advice is tailored to your individual circumstances.
Content reviewed: 3 August 2026
CeMAP awarded by The London Institute of Banking & Finance. Cert CII (MP) awarded by the Chartered Insurance Institute.
Specialist in Help to Buy equity loan remortgages and exits
Helping clients with complex credit histories for over 30 years · CeMAP, Cert CII (MP) · FCA regulated
“Most Help to Buy conversations start with the scheme and should start with the exit. The equity loan is part of your mortgage structure now — the timing of what you do about it is the decision that costs or saves money.”
Reviewed by Jay Sabine · Mortgage adviser · 30+ years' experience
Lived experience
Mistakes we repeatedly see
Not theory — the patterns that keep costing Help to Buy owners money as their first fixed period ends.
Starting the remortgage too late
Equity loan cases need administrator consent and a valuation on top of the normal process. Six weeks isn't enough, and the penalty for running out of time is your lender's standard variable rate.
Assuming you repay what you borrowed
You repay the same percentage of today's value. Owners who budgeted for the original figure get a shock when the valuation comes back higher — and sometimes lose the chance to part-repay affordably.
Only asking your existing lender
A product transfer is easy but rarely the best available. Because some lenders decline equity loan cases outright, owners wrongly conclude they have no options and stop looking.
Ignoring the fee that starts in year six
The interest-free period ends quietly. Owners who don't plan for it end up paying the fee for years while telling themselves they'll deal with the loan at some point.
Real client scenarios
Real Help to Buy journeys
Based on genuine cases we've helped with. Personal details have been changed to protect privacy.
Told no lender would remortgage with the loan in place
- Equity loan retained
- Deal ending
- Panel identified
- Off SVR in time
Situation
Owners four and a half years into their first fixed rate, with the equity loan still registered against a new-build house.
Challenge
Their own lender's product transfer was uncompetitive, and two brokers had told them remortgaging with the equity loan in place wasn't realistic. Their fixed rate was months from ending.
What changed
We placed the case with a lender that routinely accepts equity loan remortgages, ran the administrator consent in parallel with the application, and kept the loan in place rather than forcing a redemption they couldn't fund.
Outcome
They completed on a new fixed rate before their existing deal ended, without repaying the equity loan and without a month on the standard variable rate.
Why it worked
The obstacle was panel knowledge and sequencing, not eligibility. The equity loan was never the reason they were stuck.
Part-repaid before the value rose further
- Value up
- Interest started
- 10% repaid
- Payment reduced
Situation
A homeowner five years in, with the equity loan fee now running and the property worth noticeably more than the purchase price.
Challenge
Waiting to repay the loan in full meant the amount owed would keep rising with the property's value, while the fee kept accruing in the meantime.
What changed
We modelled part-repayment against doing nothing, remortgaged onto a higher loan to fund a repayment of part of the equity loan, and arranged the valuation and administrator paperwork alongside.
Outcome
A smaller equity loan, a reduced fee and a lower total cost than leaving the whole loan to grow with the market.
Why it worked
The equity loan grows with the property. Repaying part of it earlier was a decision about timing, and timing was the only thing genuinely in their control.
What happens after you get in touch
From first contact to a clear answer
What happens when you get in touch — no hard search at this stage.
- 1
We establish where you are — original purchase, deal end date, equity loan size and whether interest has started (no hard search)
- 2
Jay models the realistic options: remortgage with the loan in place, part-repay, repay in full, or sell
- 3
We tell you which lenders genuinely accept equity loan cases and what the administrator will require
- 4
If proceeding: valuation and consents arranged alongside the mortgage application through to completion
Reassurance
- Free initial review — before any hard credit search
- We model keeping the equity loan against repaying it, using your actual figures
- If staying put on your current lender's rate is genuinely better, we'll tell you
Before you enquire
What we'll ask you on the first call
Straightforward questions — no hard credit search at this stage.
- When you bought, the purchase price, and what percentage the equity loan was
- Your current lender, rate and exactly when the deal ends
- Whether the interest-free period has passed and the fee has started
- Whether you want to keep the loan, repay part of it, clear it, or sell and move
Advisory promise
When we might tell you to wait
We won't always tell you to act today.
We may advise waiting where an early repayment charge on your current deal outweighs the saving, where the valuation would currently work against a part-repayment, or where a planned move within a year makes redeeming the loan on sale the cleaner route.
The equity loan rewards good timing more than it rewards urgency. If holding position for a few months is genuinely better, we'll model it and tell you. We give advice — not just applications.
Straight answers
Common questions about Help to Buy equity loans
Our promise
What we'll never do
- Tell you to apply if it won't work
- Send applications everywhere
- Recommend borrowing beyond your budget
- Hide bad news
We don't treat the equity loan as a problem to hide from. We model what it costs to keep and what it costs to clear, then advise on the timing.
Find out where you stand with your equity loan
Tell us when you bought, when your deal ends and how much the equity loan was — we'll model your realistic options.
Not every lender takes Help to Buy remortgages, and the administrator's process adds time. Knowing both in advance is what keeps you off your lender's standard rate.
If your fixed rate ends within the next six months, this is the conversation to have now — equity loan cases need lead time.
£500 adviser fee — payable on completion.
Get Clear, Honest Mortgage Advice — Before You Apply
Free consultation • No credit search • FCA regulated
Struggled to get approved elsewhere? We specialise in complex cases including CCJs, self-employed income, and declined applications. Over 90% of our clients had concerns about their situation before speaking to us.
The Basics
Your Needs
Property
Income
Credit
Step 1 of 5
Related guides
Help to Buy — related decisions
If your position hinges on one of these questions, these chapters go deeper.
First-time buyer
If you're buying now rather than exiting an existing equity loan.
Open guide →
First-time buyer schemes
What support actually exists today, now the equity loan scheme has closed.
Open guide →
Remortgage strategy
Timing, total cost and lender choice when your fixed period is ending.
Open guide →
New-build mortgages
Valuations, incentives and lender criteria on the properties these loans were used for.
Open guide →