Taking out a mortgage is one of the most common ways people get into a home in the United Kingdom. Every mortgage lender has a set of requirements borrowers must meet, however, such as having a certain debt-to-income ratio. Although UK law doesn’t force you to get life insurance to take out this type of loan, most mortgage lenders include it in their requirements, and almost all financial experts believe that having a policy to accompany your mortgage is prudent.
What Happens to the House After You Die
To really understand why life insurance with a mortgage is so overwhelmingly seen as necessary, you have to grasp what would happen to your home following your death, assuming the mortgage was still not paid in full. Under UK regulations, if your mortgage is unpaid, several things can happen. If you have a joint mortgage, then responsibility for the mortgage simply passes to your surviving borrower. If you are the sole owner of the house through the mortgage, then the home usually goes to a beneficiary you name in your will, but your estate must settle your debts before beneficiaries can get the property. If there are enough other assets in your estate to pay off the mortgage without selling the home, then the beneficiary might be able to get the property free and clear, but more often than not, the assets don’t entirely cover what’s owed, so the beneficiary has to refinance the mortgage loan to keep the property. Remaining owners and beneficiaries can sell the property, pay off the mortgage from the sale, and pocket whatever equity happens to be left over, as well.