What is Drawdown?
Let's start with the basics....
So you want to borrow money against your property with a Lifetime Mortgage. In reality, you probably know how much you need right now, but you probably don't know what extra you'll need over the next 20 years.
It doesn't make sense to borrow now, what you think you are going to need in the future, because you will start being charged interest on everything you have borrowed before you actually need it. So it's better leaving it in the house until you do need it.
This is where drawdown works. I suppose you think of it like an overdraft facility on your house This means that whilst you aren't using it, you aren't getting charged for it. When the time comes though, funds are available, generally released to you within a couple of weeks, at which point they will then start charging you interest.
By leaving the money in your house as long as you can, you have reduced the long term effect of compound Interest.
It also means that you should think carefully about how much you really need initially, knowing that there is the facility to borrow more money later. Borrowing money only when you need it and not having it sat in your bank account unnecessarily could save you thousands over the years.