In an attempt to track the property wealth of the over 65's Key Retirement Solutions has recently launched the Pensioner Property Index. In its first sweep of the marketplace it found that pensioners in the UK hold a total accumulated property value in excess of £765 billion.

They report that up to a third of this wealth is concentrated in the countries capital, London and the South East. The South West holds around 15% of pensioners housing wealth totally around £115 billion. While the pensioners in the North-West are most likely to own their own home than in other parts of the country. Scotland is suggested to hold around 5% of the total pensioner property pot with a total value of around £46 billion. In Scotland it is estimated that there are around 300,000 pensioner households who own their own home. The North East comes in last place as it holds less than 4% of the countries pensioner property wealth.

So what does this mean? Well, beside the fact that this population holds a huge sum of wealth, it creates opportunities for them to take advantage of their assets. For instance, with rising costs in the UK many elderly people could take advantage of equity release plans that will help them lead a better lifestyle in their retirement. It would mean releasing some equity in their home in return for cash. However, it certainly is not for everyone so it is always advisable to seek professional advice before making any firm decisions.