Our couple, aged 65 and 69 years young, were unsure they would be able to get financing due to their age.
Whilst most French lenders don't have a fixed age limit to apply for a mortgage, they do want to see that you can repay the mortgage back in full by the time you are in your 70s. This has the direct effect of reducing the maximum term you can take the mortgage out for, increases the monthly payment, and can, depending on your income, prevent you from meeting the banks' affordability criteria.
On top of that, there is the issue of life insurance. The vast majority of French banks will require you to take out a policy with their chosen provider, for the full term and value of the mortgage, irrespective of whether you already have suitable cover in place in the UK. Taking out life insurance in your 60s is understandably not a cheap option and again, will typically prevent you from meeting the bank's affordability criteria.
However, due to our long-standing relationships with the French banks, we were able to negotiate a cracking product for our clients - a 12-year repayment mortgage at an 85% LTV, a fixed rate of 2.10%, and no additional life insurance requirement and no additional assets under management. We also obtained a 50% discount on the bank arrangement fees for them!
Which enabled our clients to make the life-changing move to live in France permanently. Pas mal!