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Personal finance
   Last updated: 06.06.06
 
It’s an indication of how much the outlook for HIV-positive people has improved since effective treatment became available that this book includes a section providing information on mortgages and pensions - something that was lacking in the 1996 publication, Living with HIV and AIDS.

Mortgages
Getting a mortgage is not actually any harder if you are HIV-positive. Mortgage lenders don’t usually ask any questions about your health or HIV status. All they’re interested in is seeing that you meet the financial criteria for the mortgage you are applying for.

However, there can still be problems. You may well be asked to take out life assurance to cover the mortgage in the event of your death. Even though the prognosis for many people with HIV has improved dramatically recently there’s still no life assurance policy which will provide cover for people with HIV. Don’t lie about your health to get life assurance cover. A better plan might be to find a mortgage lender that doesn’t require life assurance.

It’s also likely to be impossible for you to obtain heath insurance to cover your mortgage payments in the event of you becoming too ill to work. Again, don’t lie. Your claim won’t be successful and you’ll just be wasting money on premiums.


Pensions
Having HIV will not be a problem if you are thinking of joining a company pension scheme or starting a personal pension plan. However, you might ask, why bother? Improving treatment for HIV could well mean that you live to pension age and beyond. What’s more, if you were to become ill, or even die before retirement age, the terms of your pension could mean that you still get benefits from it, such as a medical retirement pension or, in the event of your death, a payment to your partner (husband or wife, registered Civil Partner or specifically nominated partner who you are not in a formal, legal relationship with) or next-of-kin.

It’s worth getting specialist financial advice, and some financial advisers have a lot of experience of working with HIV-positive clients. Similar advice might also be available from your local HIV support organisation.