Mike Richardson
Ms Smithen acted as Equity Release Adviser for my mother, Mrs B J Richardson of
Woodbridge, on behalf of my sister Mrs Linda Harris and myself between 22 July and 2
December 2024, via our Lasting Power of Attorney.
Ms Smithen apprised us fully of the process and immediately began assessing our needs. She
understood these quickly and gathered the required information, having informed us clearly of
what we needed to provide. Within a week she had all the necessary paperwork to move
forward with a mortgage application and presented clear quotes tailored precisely to our needs.
Her advice ensured that we were completely confident about the choice we made.
Ms Smithen then made all the legal and practical arrangements necessary for the application to
go forward, again keeping us informed at every stage by email and by telephone. By the second
week of August everything was ready.
At this point a serious problem arose with the firm of solicitors holding the deeds to my mother’s
house. The firm was unable to locate or provide the deeds when requested, despite having held
them for many years. Ms Smithen advised me how to deal with this, and when the issue proved
more intractable she consulted with others to advise me further about what I needed to do.
Without Ms Smithen ‘s advice I would have been at a complete loss as to how to proceed.
During this time Ms Smithen also worked closely with the solicitor acting for ourselves to ensure
that solving the issue remained their highest priority.
By the time the deeds were retrieved, the original mortgage offer had expired. Ms Smithen dealt
promptly with this and was able to secure a new offer immediately after the expiry of the original
offer.
When a further legal problem arose with the Land Registry after the deeds were received by the
mortgage company’s solicitors, Ms Smithen again acted promptly and confidently with the
parties concerned to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, liaising fully with us at all
times.
Ms Smithen’s professional advice and work throughout were exceptional. Her liaison with all
involved ensured that the process kept moving and that at all times we were aware of what was
happening. She kept our interests at the forefront of her work, knowing that because of the legal
delays the savings that my mother was using to pay for her care at home were close to running
out.
In addition to our complete confidence in Ms Smithen’s professional work on our behalf, her
genuine concern for our wellbeing were of immense comfort to us. On a personal note, Ms
Smithen’s regular catch-up phone calls with me during the protracted legal problems were of
enormous benefit to me, and I cannot express enough my appreciation for her kindness, the
considerable amount of time she spent talking with me and her unwavering determination to
reach a successful outcome, all of which went far beyond the contract we had. This really is
client care at its finest.
My sister and I commend Ms Smithen in the highest possible terms for her professionalism, her
competence, her knowledge and her hard work to solve problems and obtain the very best
outcomes for us, and for her professional, friendly and caring approach towards us at all times.
Nothing was ever too much trouble for Ms Smithen, and we will always remember and
appreciate everything she did for us.
Woodbridge, on behalf of my sister Mrs Linda Harris and myself between 22 July and 2
December 2024, via our Lasting Power of Attorney.
Ms Smithen apprised us fully of the process and immediately began assessing our needs. She
understood these quickly and gathered the required information, having informed us clearly of
what we needed to provide. Within a week she had all the necessary paperwork to move
forward with a mortgage application and presented clear quotes tailored precisely to our needs.
Her advice ensured that we were completely confident about the choice we made.
Ms Smithen then made all the legal and practical arrangements necessary for the application to
go forward, again keeping us informed at every stage by email and by telephone. By the second
week of August everything was ready.
At this point a serious problem arose with the firm of solicitors holding the deeds to my mother’s
house. The firm was unable to locate or provide the deeds when requested, despite having held
them for many years. Ms Smithen advised me how to deal with this, and when the issue proved
more intractable she consulted with others to advise me further about what I needed to do.
Without Ms Smithen ‘s advice I would have been at a complete loss as to how to proceed.
During this time Ms Smithen also worked closely with the solicitor acting for ourselves to ensure
that solving the issue remained their highest priority.
By the time the deeds were retrieved, the original mortgage offer had expired. Ms Smithen dealt
promptly with this and was able to secure a new offer immediately after the expiry of the original
offer.
When a further legal problem arose with the Land Registry after the deeds were received by the
mortgage company’s solicitors, Ms Smithen again acted promptly and confidently with the
parties concerned to resolve the situation as quickly as possible, liaising fully with us at all
times.
Ms Smithen’s professional advice and work throughout were exceptional. Her liaison with all
involved ensured that the process kept moving and that at all times we were aware of what was
happening. She kept our interests at the forefront of her work, knowing that because of the legal
delays the savings that my mother was using to pay for her care at home were close to running
out.
In addition to our complete confidence in Ms Smithen’s professional work on our behalf, her
genuine concern for our wellbeing were of immense comfort to us. On a personal note, Ms
Smithen’s regular catch-up phone calls with me during the protracted legal problems were of
enormous benefit to me, and I cannot express enough my appreciation for her kindness, the
considerable amount of time she spent talking with me and her unwavering determination to
reach a successful outcome, all of which went far beyond the contract we had. This really is
client care at its finest.
My sister and I commend Ms Smithen in the highest possible terms for her professionalism, her
competence, her knowledge and her hard work to solve problems and obtain the very best
outcomes for us, and for her professional, friendly and caring approach towards us at all times.
Nothing was ever too much trouble for Ms Smithen, and we will always remember and
appreciate everything she did for us.
My sister and I commend Ms Smithen in the highest possible terms for her professionalism, her competence, her knowledge and her hard work to solve problems and obtain the very best outcomes for us, and for her professional, friendly and caring approach towards us at all times.
Danny & Sally Claridge, Woodford Green, Essex
Premier Equity Release, were recommended to me by a friend who has been a long-standing client of theirs. I’d like to say straight off the bat how delighted I am with the service received. The adviser has been great – she tells it how it is and doesn’t sugarcoat it, which means you know exactly where you stand right from the off.
My financial situation had become fairly complex… I’d found myself without an income, but I was sitting on a big house with a paid off mortgage, so Equity Release was a potential solution. I didn’t know much about it and was worried that there’d be lots of fees to pay and complications from a tax point of view. I was also concerned about taking too much value out of my home and was keen to work out a budget that would be viable going forward.
I’d spoken to a few other financial advisers, but they didn’t seem to understand my situation. I knew nothing about finance and was looking for somebody to explain things to me clearly, so I could make an informed decision. The lack of understanding from the banks made me totally frustrated and I was starting to wonder whether Equity Release was the right option, and then Premier Equity Release came along…
The adviser was a breath of fresh air and a real powerhouse. It wasn’t just about selling us an Equity Release plan, it felt like she wanted to help sort my life out! She devised a plan that would cut down our monthly outgoings, so we wouldn’t need to release as much equity as we first thought. That was definitely above and beyond the call of duty!
The actual Equity Release process was a little more complicated than I thought to be honest, but our adviser was very good at pointing out the pitfalls and explaining what not to do as well as what we should do. We definitely feel like we’ve received a personal service and she has become a friend as much as an adviser – the level of thought and commitment to her clients is unbelievable.
You’ve only got to meet the adviser for half an hour and she gets you as a person and understands what’s best for you – the Premier service is bespoke in the truest sense.
My financial situation had become fairly complex… I’d found myself without an income, but I was sitting on a big house with a paid off mortgage, so Equity Release was a potential solution. I didn’t know much about it and was worried that there’d be lots of fees to pay and complications from a tax point of view. I was also concerned about taking too much value out of my home and was keen to work out a budget that would be viable going forward.
I’d spoken to a few other financial advisers, but they didn’t seem to understand my situation. I knew nothing about finance and was looking for somebody to explain things to me clearly, so I could make an informed decision. The lack of understanding from the banks made me totally frustrated and I was starting to wonder whether Equity Release was the right option, and then Premier Equity Release came along…
The adviser was a breath of fresh air and a real powerhouse. It wasn’t just about selling us an Equity Release plan, it felt like she wanted to help sort my life out! She devised a plan that would cut down our monthly outgoings, so we wouldn’t need to release as much equity as we first thought. That was definitely above and beyond the call of duty!
The actual Equity Release process was a little more complicated than I thought to be honest, but our adviser was very good at pointing out the pitfalls and explaining what not to do as well as what we should do. We definitely feel like we’ve received a personal service and she has become a friend as much as an adviser – the level of thought and commitment to her clients is unbelievable.
You’ve only got to meet the adviser for half an hour and she gets you as a person and understands what’s best for you – the Premier service is bespoke in the truest sense.
You’ve only got to meet the adviser for half an hour and she gets you as a person and understands what’s best for you – the Premier service is bespoke in the truest sense.
Mr & Mrs Baxter, Northamptonshire
We had already approached a well known Equity Release provider before we found Premier and I have to say, we really weren’t very happy with their response. We had more or less already decided that Equity Release was the solution for our particular circumstances, but were also considering other forms of finance. What was really needed was simple, straightforward advice to give us confidence that we were making the right decision with Equity Release.
Basically, we needed a medium-term loan to help our son who required some temporary financial assistance. He has a substantial pension fund, but is unable to access it for a few years, and with an immediate need for cash-flow, it made sense for us to assist him by releasing some equity from our home until he’s able to pay us back.
We were extremely impressed with our allocated adviser. She made it very clear that if Equity Release wasn’t right for us, she would tell us, which was a refreshing approach. Having thoroughly assessed our situation and needs, we felt we could proceed with absolute confidence.
The only minor complaint we had was that the first solicitor they put us in touch with actually turned out to be somewhat inefficient, but when I called to raise this issue, she’d already noticed the poor response and had referred our case to someone else, who was far more proactive.
Overall, our experience with Premier Equity Release has been first class, and we can confidently recommend them to anyone needing sound unbiased advice on Equity Release lending.
Basically, we needed a medium-term loan to help our son who required some temporary financial assistance. He has a substantial pension fund, but is unable to access it for a few years, and with an immediate need for cash-flow, it made sense for us to assist him by releasing some equity from our home until he’s able to pay us back.
We were extremely impressed with our allocated adviser. She made it very clear that if Equity Release wasn’t right for us, she would tell us, which was a refreshing approach. Having thoroughly assessed our situation and needs, we felt we could proceed with absolute confidence.
The only minor complaint we had was that the first solicitor they put us in touch with actually turned out to be somewhat inefficient, but when I called to raise this issue, she’d already noticed the poor response and had referred our case to someone else, who was far more proactive.
Overall, our experience with Premier Equity Release has been first class, and we can confidently recommend them to anyone needing sound unbiased advice on Equity Release lending.
Overall, our experience with Premier Equity Release has been first class, and we can confidently recommend them to anyone needing sound unbiased advice on Equity Release lending.
Mr & Mrs Speller
We first met our adviser via a recommendation and referral from Barclays Bank. We didn’t know a lot about Equity Release, so weren’t really sure what we were looking for or what would be the best solution to our financial situation.
Having explained our circumstances and financial requirements to her, she was able to talk us through the entire process, discussing the potential drawbacks and really getting into the details, so we could be sure that Equity Release was right for us.
The main thing we wanted to understand, and it’s quite an important one, is how does it work? Of course, we’d heard of Equity Release and knew roughly what it is, but we wanted to get rid of some debts and needed to know if this would be the best way to go about that.
The adviser took us through everything step by step. We were a little confused by the application form, so they visited us at home to help us complete it.
Premier Equity Release helped us a great deal throughout the process and we were very happy with the friendly, professional service we received. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Premier to other people in our situation.
Having explained our circumstances and financial requirements to her, she was able to talk us through the entire process, discussing the potential drawbacks and really getting into the details, so we could be sure that Equity Release was right for us.
The main thing we wanted to understand, and it’s quite an important one, is how does it work? Of course, we’d heard of Equity Release and knew roughly what it is, but we wanted to get rid of some debts and needed to know if this would be the best way to go about that.
The adviser took us through everything step by step. We were a little confused by the application form, so they visited us at home to help us complete it.
Premier Equity Release helped us a great deal throughout the process and we were very happy with the friendly, professional service we received. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Premier to other people in our situation.
Premier Equity Release helped us a great deal throughout the process and we were very happy with the friendly, professional service we received. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Premier to other people in our situation.
Mrs Henbery
When I first met our adviser I was in a bit of a quandary about Equity Release and whether it really was the right option. To be honest, Equity Release probably wouldn’t have been my first choice, but the way she explained everything and looked into all the other options, like selling my house and downsizing, it turned out to be the best option for us.
We needed the equity for a particular purpose, but having discussed our circumstances and future plans with her, we decided to unlock enough equity to do a few things around the house too. There were some repairs and general maintenance we’d been putting off, but Equity Release enabled us to get these jobs done, which was a real bonus.
Our adviser has been brilliant. She went through everything with us in detail and made us fully aware of the process, what would be involved and what we’d need to do at every stage.
It was very reassuring to know that Premier Equity Release were there with us every step of the way – I’d definitely recommend them.
We needed the equity for a particular purpose, but having discussed our circumstances and future plans with her, we decided to unlock enough equity to do a few things around the house too. There were some repairs and general maintenance we’d been putting off, but Equity Release enabled us to get these jobs done, which was a real bonus.
Our adviser has been brilliant. She went through everything with us in detail and made us fully aware of the process, what would be involved and what we’d need to do at every stage.
It was very reassuring to know that Premier Equity Release were there with us every step of the way – I’d definitely recommend them.
It was very reassuring to know that Premier Equity Release were there with us every step of the way – I’d definitely recommend them.
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