Unison reviews: real cost, complaints, pros and cons

Unison invests up to 15% of your home's value, up to $500,000.

In return it shares in the change in your home's value, typically four times the percentage it invested: invest 10% and Unison shares 40% of the change.

The change is measured from your appraisal reduced by 5%, a smaller discount than Point's.

Unison shares losses as well as gains, and publishes no cap. Agreements run up to 30 years, with a 3.9% transaction fee.

CFPB complaints: 15 filed against Unison in the federal complaint database (6 since 2025). Most common: trouble during payment process (7); applying for a mortgage or refinancing an existing mortgage (4); struggling to pay mortgage (1). Unison answered 15 of 15 on time.

Customer reviews: read what Unison customers say on Trustpilot and BBB.

How to read reviews of any HEI company. Star ratings tend to reflect the application and funding experience. The costly part comes years later, at settlement: across the six providers, "trouble during the payment process" accounts for 37 of 131 CFPB complaints, and the CFPB has reported consumers surprised by what they had to repay. Read the oldest reviews and the complaints, not just the star rating.

Worth a look if: You expect flat or modest appreciation and value downside sharing.

Look elsewhere if: You live in a fast-appreciating market, where a 4x share with no cap gets expensive.

Arizona, California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin

• Olson v. Unison Agreement Corp. (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit) Vacated Ruling August 2025; vacated October 17, 2025. In August 2025 a Ninth Circuit panel, in an unpublished decision, held that Unison's agreement met Washington's definition of a reverse mortgage and revived the homeowners' consumer protection claims. After the parties settled, the court on October 17, 2025 granted their request to dismiss and vacated its August judgment, so the ruling does not stand as precedent.

In the typical case, the lowest-cost alternative is CHEIFS at 13.7% a year, versus 14.7% for Unison. If your home grows fast or you sell early, the ranking can change.

When to pick an alternative instead

• CHEIFS: costs less in the typical case (13.7% vs 14.7% a year); costs less if your home grows fast (13.7% vs 23.1% a year); costs less if you sell within 3 years (14.7% vs 21.6% a year); gives you more time to settle (no end date vs 30); publishes a lower credit minimum (680); funds larger amounts (up to $2M vs $500K). Unison vs CHEIFS
• Hometap: costs less in the typical case (14.1% vs 14.7% a year); costs less if your home grows fast (18.5% vs 23.1% a year); publishes a lower credit minimum (585); serves more states (27 vs 23); funds larger amounts (up to $600K vs $500K). Unison vs Hometap
• Point: costs less in the typical case (14.3% vs 14.7% a year); costs less if your home grows fast (18.9% vs 23.1% a year); costs less if you sell within 3 years (20.2% vs 21.6% a year); publishes a lower credit minimum (500); serves more states (32 vs 23); funds larger amounts (up to $600K vs $500K). Unison vs Point
• Unlock: costs less if your home grows fast (20.4% vs 23.1% a year); publishes a lower credit minimum (500); serves more states (26 vs 23). Unison vs Unlock
• Splitero: costs less if your home grows fast (20.4% vs 23.1% a year); publishes a lower credit minimum (500); funds larger amounts (up to $600K vs $500K). Unison vs Splitero

A HELOC, home equity loan, cash-out refinance, or reverse mortgage can also cost less if you qualify. See every option compared.