LiveMore has reduced its minimum borrower age from 50 to 40, addressing increasing financial pressures faced by midlife borrowers and responding to rising demand for mortgage solutions extending into retirement.

The lender says the change reflects broader shifts in borrowing patterns, with around 40% of new mortgages now extending beyond a borrower’s pension age. Those aged 40 to 49 represent the largest share of these cases.

Commenting, LiveMore chief executive Leon Diamond said: “40% of new mortgages now run beyond pension age, and the biggest group taking them out are people in their 40s. Yet many of these borrowers still struggle to access lending because traditional models don’t fairly assess complex finances.

“By the time people reach their 40s, life starts to get financially complicated. Divorce, self-employment, career changes, caring responsibilities and retirement planning can all affect how someone borrows. The industry often treats later life borrowing as a niche issue, but the reality is, this starts much earlier. What we’re seeing is a midlife mortgage crisis, not just a later life one.”

Livemore pointed to ONS data which  shows divorce rates peak for both men and women in their 40s . Over half (57%) of ‘sandwich carers’, those caring for both dependent children and older relatives, are aged between 45 and 64 . Research from IPSE indicates the average age of the UK’s self-employed population is 48.