In this second instalment, I want to go a step further and open up the conversation about where JBSP actually fits in today’s world, and why it’s become one of the most flexible and underused fixes available to brokers.
You don’t need me to tell you that the average mortgage case isn’t straightforward anymore. Whether it’s self-employed income, later life support, complex chains, or just sheer cost-of-living pressure, things rarely fall butter-side up. We’ve seen JBSP make a genuine difference in all kinds of scenarios, and it’s often those ‘on the edge’ cases where the structure really proves its worth.
Take one recent case that really made people stop and take notice. A husband, still living in the family home, was supported via JBSP by two individuals you wouldn’t normally see on the same application: his ex-wife and her new partner.
It raised a few eyebrows, as you can imagine, but the motivations were straightforward. The husband wanted to remain in the property, but couldn’t take on the mortgage alone. The ex-wife had a shared interest in maintaining the home for the sake of their children, and the new partner was in a position to assist.
JBSP gave them the legal and financial framework to do it, without creating unnecessary joint ownership or risk. It wasn’t a situation you’d find in any product factsheet, but it worked. The mortgage was approved, the property was retained, and everyone had clarity on their role. It might not have looked conventional, but the outcome was clean, considered, and ultimately in the best interests of the family involved.
We’ve got to stop thinking of JBSP as a kind gesture from parent to child. That narrative’s tired. It’s not wrong, but it’s incomplete. What JBSP actually gives you is structure. It allows people to support each other financially, without creating long-term legal entanglements. No awkward future ownership battles. No “But what if we break up?” conversations. And from a lender’s point of view, that’s gold. Because it gives us something clear to assess, and it gives the clients something clean to work with.
And it’s not hard to see why this kind of structure matters more now than ever. According to new analysis from Experian, 2025 has seen a marked rise in multi-generational households
across the UK, with more families living together to share childcare, elderly care and housing costs, as well as a broader shift towards rural and suburban living shaped by flexible work and affordability pressures.
That trend tells us everything we need to know about how people are living. More shared, more fluid, more connected. And that is exactly why products like JBSP are becoming vital to reflect that reality.
Now here’s where things fall down. This is something I’ve said in webinars, on panels, and face to face with brokers over the years. JBSP isn’t always easy to find. It doesn’t flag up properly in sourcing systems. It’s not categorised the way it should be. And split-term options? Forget it. Unless you know where to look or know which lenders offer it, the system’s not going to do the work for you.
That means you’ve got to have it in your mental toolkit. It’s a ‘you have to know it exists’ situation, which is never ideal in a market where brokers are juggling a dozen live cases and need speed, not sleuthing.
Now, speaking of split terms, this is probably the most underused feature we offer at Hinckley & Rugby for Intermediaries. And yes, I’ll say that with full conviction.
A lot of brokers still assume the mortgage term in a JBSP case has to be based on the oldest borrower’s age. That’s often what kills the deal, especially if mum or dad are in their late 50s or early 60s. But that’s not always the case. With split terms, we can assess affordability against the younger borrower’s profile, which opens up the term and, in many cases, saves the deal entirely.
So, if you’ve written JBSP off in the past because of age limits, I’d really encourage you to revisit it. The flexibility might surprise you.
It works, and we’ve proven that time and time again. But it only works if more people use it. Not just for the headline cases, but for the subtle ones. The ones that don’t shout. The ones that need that bit of extra help, but don’t know how to ask.
It’s on us, as an industry, therefore to recognise where it fits and offer it up. The value is already there. The structure is ready. We just need to stop keeping it on the shelf.
