Taking On the Mortgage Alone
Buying Out an Ex-Partner: Remortgaging After a Separation
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
A fee of up to £495 per mortgage may be charged depending on individual circumstances.
The information contained within was correct at the time of publication but is subject to change.
10th November 2026
Separating from a partner can mean dealing with a lot of major financial decisions at the same time. If you own a home together, one of the biggest questions is often what happens to the property and the existing mortgage.
We recently helped a returning client in Bristol who found herself in exactly this position.
Five years earlier, we had helped her and her partner buy their first home together, a Victorian terrace in Bristol. Since then, their circumstances had changed and they had decided to separate.
Rather than sell the property, our client wanted to remain in her home and raise enough money through the mortgage to buy out her former partner's share.
Could she afford the mortgage on her own?
One of the first things we needed to establish was whether the mortgage would be affordable in our client's sole name.
Fortunately, she was in a strong financial position. She was employed in a secure role within banking, had a healthy income, little existing debt and a clean credit history.
There was also a good amount of equity in the property. Although she needed to raise a significant sum to buy out her former partner, the new mortgage would still represent a relatively low loan-to-value compared with the value of the home.
That put us in a good position to explore the options available.
What about the existing fixed-rate mortgage?
One complication was that the existing mortgage was still within its fixed-rate period.
Normally, leaving a mortgage during a fixed-rate period can mean paying an Early Repayment Charge (ERC), so this needed to be factored into the overall cost of the transaction.
In this case, both parties wanted to move forward. Her former partner wanted to purchase another property and was prepared for the existing mortgage to be repaid, including the associated Early Repayment Charge.
This allowed us to look at the mortgage from our client's perspective and consider what arrangement would suit her circumstances now that she would be taking responsibility for the property and mortgage herself.
Why we looked at a five-year fixed mortgage
Certainty was particularly important to our client.
With the mortgage moving from a joint responsibility to her sole responsibility, she wanted to know exactly what her mortgage payment would be each month so that she could budget confidently.
She also had no plans to move home in the foreseeable future.
For those reasons, we recommended a five year fixed rate mortgage. Fixing for five years meant her monthly mortgage payment would not be affected by changes to interest rates during that period, giving her some much needed stability while she adjusted to her new circumstances.
It also meant that, once everything was completed, she could put the mortgage to one side and concentrate on moving forward.
Finding a lender that was comfortable with the circumstances
We needed a lender that was comfortable with the overall transaction, including:
- The mortgage moving into one person's name
- Additional borrowing being used to buy out an ex-partner
- The mortgage being affordable on one income
- Repaying the existing mortgage while it was still within its fixed-rate period
- Raising the funds quickly enough for both parties to move forward
We found a suitable option with a high street lender that was comfortable with the client's income and the purpose of the additional borrowing.
The application itself went very smoothly.
Most importantly, our client was able to raise the money needed to buy out her former partner and take over the mortgage in her sole name.
Her former partner could move ahead with plans for their next property, while our client could remain in the home she already knew and loved.
Can you buy your ex-partner out of a mortgage?
Potentially, yes.
If you're separating and one person wants to remain in the property, it may be possible to arrange a new mortgage in their sole name and raise additional funds to buy out the other person's share.
However, there are several things that need to be considered, including:
- How much equity you have in the property
- How much you need to raise to buy out your former partner
- Whether the new mortgage is affordable on your income alone
- Whether your existing mortgage has any Early Repayment Charges
- Your existing debts and financial commitments
- Whether the lender is happy with the reason for the additional borrowing
- Any legal work required to change the ownership of the property
It isn't necessarily the case that you have to wait until your current fixed-rate mortgage comes to an end. Sometimes paying an Early Repayment Charge and arranging a new mortgage can still be an appropriate option, particularly where both parties need to move forward with their lives.
Whether that makes financial sense will depend on your individual circumstances.
Separating and need help with your mortgage?
If you're separating from your partner and would like to stay in your home, we can help you understand what your options might look like.
Whether you're part way through a fixed rate mortgage, need to raise money to buy out your former partner, or simply don't know whether you could afford the mortgage by yourself, Bristol Rose Mortgages can look at the figures and help you understand what's realistically possible.
Sometimes the answer is more straightforward than you might expect.