It’s not all fixed rates

Posted by Rebecca Harbrow on Friday 3rd February 2023.

It's not all fixed rates

With over 10 years of record low interest rates, fixed rate mortgages offer borrowers the stability of knowing what the mortgage payment will be for a set period, which helps with budgeting.

Because of the way many lenders decide what rates to offer, we’re currently seeing tracker products priced a lot more competitively than fixed rate products.

Unlike a fixed rate, the monthly payment of a tracker mortgage fluctuates and the rate charged on the mortgage ‘tracks’ the Bank Rate usually for a set period. Whilst you may have to pay a penalty to leave your lender, especially during the tracker period, there are tracker products that have no early repayment charge, so you are free to leave without penalty.

If you’re coming up to the end of your fixed-rate and you’re faced with a higher interest rate than you were expecting, switching to a tracker at a lower rate may be tempting. Although you may find there are cheaper tracker products on offer than current fixed rates, you must be confident that you’ll be able to afford your repayments if the rate goes up.

We can help guide you through all your mortgage options including advice on whether a fixed rate or tracker product is more suitable.

YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE

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