Almost half of mortgage holders lack income protection insurance
October 8, 2026 by Brendan O'Neill
Surveys and Statistics
The latest research shows that close to half of those with an active mortgage lack any form of income protection insurance.
This applies to four out of every 10 people who currently hold a mortgage. The percentage with no income protection insurance is 39%, with just 33% stating that they are sure they have a policy. Meanwhile 28% of those who were surveyed for the research said that they were not sure whether they had income protection or not. Insurance provider MetLife UK conducted the research.
Income protection insurance is a type of policy that is designed to help people if injury or illness makes it impossible for them to work. It ensures people still have an income stream that enables them to meet bills, such as monthly mortgage payments.
The MetLife UK research also highlights a clear protection gender gap. 43% of the female mortgage holders stated that they didn’t have an income protection policy. For men, the figure was just 33%.
When it comes to the reasons for this, the biggest one cited was affordability. One quarter said that the premiums were not affordable at the moment. Another 15% stated that they were prioritising fuel, energy and food.
Phil Jeynes from MetLife UK told Mortgage Soup that this was understandable, before adding:
“But walking away from the exact safety net which protects your home and livelihood is a massive gamble.”
Income protection is a subject that mortgage advisors who have done CeMAP courses can raise during the buying process.
Written by
Brendan O'Neill
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