Craig Oliver is a later life lending adviser based in Garforth, in east Leeds. He has spent his whole career helping homeowners in this part of Yorkshire, and Bradford, Huddersfield and Halifax are in West Yorkshire, the same county as Garforth.
If you own your home in Bradford, Kirklees or Calderdale and you are over 55, this page covers what homes here are worth and how the local housing affects what a lender will offer.
Where we help across West Yorkshire
This page covers the three districts to the west and south west of Leeds:
- Bradford district, including Bradford itself, Shipley, Bingley, Keighley, Baildon and Ilkley
- Kirklees, including Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Batley, Mirfield, Holmfirth and Cleckheaton
- Calderdale, including Halifax, Brighouse, Elland, Sowerby Bridge, Hebden Bridge and Todmorden
If you live in Leeds or Wakefield, we have pages written for you: equity release in Leeds and equity release in Wakefield. For everywhere else we cover, see areas we advise in.
Advice is by phone or video call, whichever suits you.
What homes here are worth
These are the average prices from HM Land Registry's UK House Price Index for April 2026, the latest month in our data, rounded down to the nearest thousand.
| Bradford district | Kirklees | Calderdale | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All homes | around £188,000 | around £205,000 | around £190,000 |
| Terraced | around £158,000 | around £165,000 | around £166,000 |
| Semi-detached | around £209,000 | around £219,000 | around £227,000 |
| Detached | around £338,000 | around £349,000 | around £366,000 |
| Flat | around £111,000 | around £115,000 | around £119,000 |
For comparison, the average across the Yorkshire and The Humber region was around £207,000, and across Leeds around £246,000.
Every one of those averages, flats included, sits above the £70,000 minimum property value for a lifetime mortgage. But an average tells you nothing about your own house. These are indicative area averages, not a valuation of any individual property. When you apply, the lender arranges an independent valuation of your home, and that is the figure that counts.
You can check how prices have moved in your own area on our house price tracker.
Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2025. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Bradford and the Bradford district
The Bradford district stretches from the city itself out through Shipley and Bingley to Keighley, and up into Wharfedale at Ilkley, so the district average covers a very wide range of homes.
Stone-built terraces are a large part of the older housing across the district. They are ordinary residential property and generally straightforward for lenders.
Semi-detached and detached homes in the suburbs and the outlying towns often carry more value, which widens the options.
Ex-local authority housing is common in parts of the district and is not a bar in itself, though individual lenders have their own criteria.
The average terraced house in the district was around £158,000 in April 2026, well above the £70,000 minimum. What you could actually release depends on your age, your own property and your circumstances, not the district average.
Huddersfield and Kirklees
Kirklees takes in Huddersfield and the towns around it, Dewsbury, Batley and Mirfield, and the valley villages towards Holmfirth.
Older stone terraces and cottages, in the town and up the valleys, are ordinary residential property and generally fine, though some older homes have features that need checking with a lender rather than assumed.
Larger semi-detached and detached homes in the suburbs and villages tend to open up the fuller range of options, simply because there is more value to work with.
Non-standard construction is not an automatic no. Non-standard properties are referred to a lender for a decision rather than declined out of hand, and lenders take different views, which is where being whole of market earns its keep.
Halifax and Calderdale
Calderdale runs from Halifax and Brighouse up the Calder Valley through Sowerby Bridge and Hebden Bridge to Todmorden. Much of it is built into the hillsides, and the housing reflects that.
Stone terraces on the hillside streets are ordinary residential property and generally straightforward.
Unusual layouts, such as older homes built one above another on a steep slope, are worth raising early. They need checking with a lender rather than assumed, and they are not a reason to rule yourself out.
Flats and apartments, including mill conversions, are eligible, but lease length matters. A lease generally needs more than 75 years left on it, and that is worth checking early rather than late.
Why people in West Yorkshire get in touch
Most conversations start with something specific.
Work on the house. One of the most popular uses of later life lending. A new roof or boiler, a downstairs shower room, or changes that make an older house easier to live in for the years ahead.
An interest only mortgage coming to an end. The end date is getting closer and there is no lump sum set aside. It is worth starting early, because your options are widest while there is still time on the clock. See using equity release to clear an interest only mortgage.
Helping family. Some homeowners want to help children or grandchildren with something like a first home.
A bit more to live on. Topping up retirement income so the monthly budget is not quite so tight.
Because values here are generally more modest than in Leeds, the sums involved are often smaller. That is not a disadvantage. Interest on a lifetime mortgage compounds, so the less you borrow, the less it costs you overall. Our advice is always to borrow only what you need.
What we can look at
- Lifetime mortgages, whole of market
- Retirement interest only (RIO) and term interest only (TIO) mortgages, independent whole of market advice
- Interest only mortgages for ages 50 and over, independent whole of market advice
- Home reversion, referred to sector specialists
What to weigh up
Equity release will reduce the value of your estate, and the money released could affect your entitlement to means-tested benefits.
On a lifetime mortgage where the interest is not paid, interest is charged on the interest as well as the original loan, so the amount owed can grow significantly over time. Early repayment charges can apply for a number of years if the plan is repaid early.
Sometimes there is a better route: a retirement interest only mortgage, downsizing, a grant or a benefit going unclaimed, or doing nothing at all. Craig will tell you when equity release is not the answer. See alternatives to equity release.
The basics
- 55 or over for a lifetime mortgage, 50 or over for a RIO
- Property worth at least £70,000, minimum release £10,000
- No upper age limit
- Joint applications assessed on the younger applicant
- Any existing mortgage repaid out of the release
How much you could release depends on your age and your property value: roughly up to 28% at 55, up to 37% at 65, up to 44% at 70, and up to 60% from 80 onwards.
Questions we get asked in West Yorkshire
Can you come and see me in Bradford, Huddersfield or Halifax?
Advice is by phone or video call, whichever suits you. Craig is based in Garforth, in east Leeds. If meeting face to face matters to you, say so when you call.
Is my stone terraced house suitable?
Stone terraces are ordinary residential property and generally fine. Some older homes have features that need checking with a lender rather than assumed, and non-standard properties are referred to a lender for a decision rather than declined out of hand.
Is my house worth enough?
Your home needs to be worth at least £70,000. In April 2026 the Land Registry average for every property type in Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale sat above that, though only a valuation of your own home tells you where you stand.
How much could I release?
It depends on your age and your property's value. Roughly up to 28% at 55, up to 37% at 65, up to 44% at 70, and up to 60% from 80 onwards. The minimum release is £10,000, and any existing mortgage is repaid out of the money released.
Do I have to make monthly payments?
Not on a lifetime mortgage. You can pay the interest, make part payments or pay nothing. A retirement interest only mortgage does have monthly payments, and your home may be repossessed if you do not keep them up.
What does the advice cost?
The first conversation is free. Our advice fee is a maximum of £1,495, payable only if your case completes. Other lender and solicitor fees may apply.
Not sure how any of this applies to your own circumstances? Craig is happy to talk it through, free and with no obligation.
Talking to us
By phone or video call, whichever suits. There is no charge for the first conversation, and our advice fee is a maximum of £1,495, payable only if your case completes, so if you decide against it, or Craig tells you it is not right for you, it has cost you nothing.
Book a call with Craig or call 0113 403 5584.
