The Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited
Reverse Mortgage Programme
The Mortgage You Paid Supports Your Retirement
Rent Out Your Property For Better Quality of Life
Reverse Mortgage Programme - Online Video (All-in-one)
Introduction
The Reverse Mortgage Programme is operated by HKMC Insurance Limited (HKMCI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited (HKMC), which enables people aged 55 or above to use their residential properties in Hong Kong as security to obtain reverse mortgage loans.
Under a reverse mortgage loan, the borrower will receive monthly payouts over a fixed payment term or throughout his entire life. The borrower may also apply for lump-sum payouts to suit personal needs. In general, the borrower does not need to repay the reverse mortgage loan during his lifetime, unless it is terminated under specific circumstances.
When a reverse mortgage loan is terminated, the property owner (or his personal representative) will have the preferential right to redeem the mortgaged property by repaying in full the outstanding loan amount, otherwise the lender will dispose of the mortgaged property to repay the outstanding loan amount. If there is any shortfall, it will be borne by the HKMCI under an insurance arrangement between the lender and the HKMCI. Any surplus will be passed to the property owner (or his personal representative).
Eligibility Criteria
Joint application for a reverse mortgage loan by up to three borrowers is allowed.
In general, the borrower and the property offered as security must:
Borrower |
|
---|---|
Property offered as security |
(i) the borrower as sole and beneficial owner or as joint tenants (if there is more than one borrower); or (ii) a limited company, incorporated in Hong Kong, wholly and directly owned by the borrower (or if there is more than one borrower, all borrowers);
(The borrower may apply to rent out the mortgaged property if it has been owned for at least one year and all the borrowers have:
(i) declared that they have retired; or
(ii) moved out to obtain elderly or medical care.
If the property is a subsidised sale flat with unpaid land premium, the borrower must obtain consent from the relevant authority, in addition to the above requirement of property ownership.) |
Please refer to the Information Pack for more details. |
To avoid any unnecessary costs or expenditures, individuals who are interested in applying for a reverse mortgage loan should enquire with an institution which is participating in the Reverse Mortgage Programme as a lender or referrer (participating insitiution) before taking actions such as changing property ownership. |
Key Product Features and Benefits
Flexible payment term | Monthly payouts over a fixed period of 10, 15 or 20 years or throughout the borrower’s entire life. |
---|---|
Lump-sum payout | Lump-sum payouts can be applied for at the time of reverse mortgage loan application and/or any time during the selected payment term to suit the borrower’s personal needs. |
Flexible arrangement to rent out property | Mortgaged property can be rented out under specific circumstances for a higher income. |
Lifetime home residence | Property owner is entitled to stay in the property for the rest of his life, even after the payment term (10, 15 or 20 years) is due. However, interest and mortgage insurance premium will be posted to the outstanding loan amount. |
No repayment during lifetime | No repayment of outstanding loan amount is required during the borrower’s lifetime, unless the reverse mortgage loan is terminated under specific circumstances. Please refer to the Important Notice for details. |
No penalty for early repayment of loan | Full repayment of reverse mortgage loan and redemption of mortgaged property can be made at any time without penalty. |
Six-month cooling-off period | If a reverse mortgage loan is terminated for whatever reason within the first six months, a refund and waiver of mortgage insurance premiums will be given. However, the borrower is still required to bear the accrued interest, financed fees (if any) and the relevant fees in relation to the termination of the reverse mortgage loan. |
Monthly Payout Amount
In general, the higher the property value, at the time of reverse mortgage loan application, the higher the monthly payout amount will be. The older the borrower and the shorter the payment term, the higher the monthly payout amount will be. If there is more than one borrower, the entry age of the youngest borrower will be used for calculation of the monthly payout amount.
Specified Property Value
Appraised property value 1 | Maximum amount of specified property value for payout calculation 2 |
---|---|
$8 million or less | 100% of appraised property value 3 |
Over $8 million | Sum of $8 million and 50% of portion exceeding $8 million (capped at $25 million) 4 |
1 For subsidised sale flats with unpaid land premium, the appraised property value is determined by the open market value minus the land premium amount.
2 Determination of the maximum amount of specified property value is subject to the aggregate amount of appraised property value in case of more than one property as security under a reverse mortgage loan.
3 For refinancing property, the maximum amount of the specified property value for payout calculation will be 80% of the appraised property value. (Note: This is not applicable to a borrower who is holding a Counselling Certificate issued before 1 May 2014.)
4 For refinancing property, the maximum amount of the specified property value for payout calculation will be determined on the basis set out above or 80% of the appraised property value, whichever is lower. (Note: This is not applicable to a borrower who is holding a Counselling Certificate issued before 1 May 2014.)
|
Two Options of Mortgage Plans
The borrower can choose either a floating-rate or a fixed-rate mortgage plan according to his financial need. In general, a fixed-rate mortgage plan offers a higher amount of monthly payout and maximum lump-sum payout than a floating-rate mortgage plan.
Entry age | 60 years old | 70 years old | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payment term | One borrower | Two borrowers | Three borrowers | One borrower | Two borrowers | Three borrowers | |||
10-year | $3,700 | $3,300 | $3,000 | $5,100 | $4,600 | $4,200 | |||
15-year | $2,800 | $2,500 | $2,250 | $3,800 | $3,500 | $3,200 | |||
20-year | $2,400 | $2,100 | $1,900 | $3,300 | $3,000 | $2,700 | |||
Life | $2,000 | $1,800 | $1,550 | $3,100 | $2,800 | $2,400 |
5 The above monthly payout under the floating-rate mortgage plan is calculated at the interest rate as at 30 April 2024 (i.e. the Hong Kong Prime Rate minus 2.5% p.a.), and is for reference only. The floating interest rate and the Hong Kong Prime Rate will be determined by the HKMCI and the HKMC from time to time respectively. |
Entry age | 60 years old | 70 years old | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payment term | One borrower | Two borrowers | Three borrowers | One borrower | Two borrowers | Three borrowers | |||
10-year | $3,880 | $3,460 | $3,150 | $5,350 | $4,830 | $4,410 | |||
15-year | $2,940 | $2,620 | $2,360 | $3,990 | $3,670 | $3,360 | |||
20-year | $2,520 | $2,200 | $1,990 | $3,460 | $3,150 | $2,830 | |||
Life | $2,100 | $1,890 | $1,620 | $3,250 | $2,940 | $2,520 |
6 The above monthly payout under the fixed-rate mortgage plan is calculated at the interest rate of 4.5% p.a. for the first 25 years and the Hong Kong Prime Rate minus 2.5% p.a. thereafter, and is for reference only. The fixed interest rate and the Hong Kong Prime Rate will be determined by the HKMCI and the HKMC from time to time respectively. |
Example 1 | Example 2 | Example 3 | ||||
Borrower (s) and entry age | Person aged 70 | Husband aged 70 and wife aged 60 | Husband and wife both aged 70 | |||
Payment term | Life | 10-year | 20-year | |||
Property value | $2,500,000 | $6,000,000 | $45,000,0007 | |||
Monthly payout amount (Floating-rate mortgage plan) | $3,100 x 2.5 = $7,750 | $3,300 x 6 = $19,800 | $3,000 x 25 = $75,000 | |||
Monthly payout amount (Fixed-rate mortgage plan) | $3,250 x 2.5 = $8,125 | $3,460 x 6 = $20,760 | $3,150 x 25 = $78,750 |
7 Maximum amount of the specified property value for payout calculation is capped at $25 million. |
Costs
Interest expense | To be charged on the outstanding loan amount on a compound basis. |
---|---|
Mortgage insurance premium | To be posted to the outstanding loan amount: (i) Upfront Mortgage Insurance Premium is 1.96% of the specified property value, payable by seven annual instalments on the 37th, 49th, 61st, 73rd, 85th, 97th and 109th monthly payout dates respectively. Each annual instalment is calculated at 0.28% of the specified property value under the reverse mortgage loan.
(ii) Monthly Mortgage Insurance Premium is payable on a monthly basis at the annual rate of 1.25% of the outstanding loan amount. |
Counselling fee 8 | To be paid to the counsellor for counselling service. |
Legal fees 8 | To be paid to the solicitors for discharge of the existing mortgage, execution of mortgage documents and other relevant legal documents. |
8 The borrower may choose to finance the fees in his reverse mortgage loans.
The above costs are not exhaustive and for reference only. Please refer to the Information Pack for further details. |
Application Flow
Please read the Important Notice carefully before proceeding with the application for a reverse mortgage loan. The Important Notice provides more information about a reverse mortgage loan, and should be read together with the Information Pack and other materials relating to the Reverse Mortgage Programme.
Step 1: Pre-application | Enquire with a participating institution which will explain details of the programme and conduct a preliminary eligibility assessment. Under any circumstances, there is no need to apply for a reverse mortgage loan through other intermediaries. For the list of participating institutions of the Reverse Mortgage Programme, please click here. |
---|---|
Step 2: Counselling | Make an appointment and meet with an eligible counsellor before making a formal application for a reverse mortgage loan. During the counselling session, the counsellor will explain the general features of a reverse mortgage loan, the major rights and obligations as well as legal consequences of taking out a reverse mortgage loan. The counsellor will issue a Counselling Certificate upon successful completion of counselling. |
Step 3: Formal Application | After obtaining the Counselling Certificate, a formal application can be submitted. Meanwhile, the borrower is required to complete a health questionnaire before closing. After the application is approved, mortgage documents and other related legal documents will be executed. |
Enquiry
For details, please refer to the Reverse Mortgage Programme’s Information Pack.
Should there be any enquiries, please call the HKMC Retire 39 Hotline at 2536 0833 or email us at [email protected]. You may also contact a participating institution or an eligible counsellor.
9 HKMC Retire 3 refers to the Reverse Mortgage Programme and the Policy Reverse Mortgage Programme operated by HKMCI and the HKMC Annuity Plan underwritten by HKMC Annuity Limited (HKMCA). The HKMCI and the HKMCA are the wholly-owned subsidiaries of the HKMC.
The programme is subject to relevant terms and conditions.