Remortgaging

There are many good reasons to look into remortgaging. The two most popular reasons why people choose to remortgage are:

1. To save money - in order to lower monthly repayments or benefit from lower interest rates. More than half of all borrowers in the UK are currently paying more than they need to on their mortgage.
2. To raise money - to release some of the equity in your home. This could be useful if you wanted to consolidate debts or release money for making home improvements (and adding value to your property).

Anyone who has an existing mortgage can look into remortgaging - provided that they meet the criteria set by their potential new mortgage lender.

Remortgaging might be particularly important if you’ve come to the end of a fixed-rate period, or your discounted deal is coming to an end. While you can stay with your existing mortgage provider, you will probably be put on their standard variable rate (SVR) which may not be the best deal around.

In many cases, remortgaging can make a big impact on your monthly outgoings - for example, if you managed to negotiate down a £75,000, 15 year repayment mortgage from 5.5% to 4% you could save £58 a month.

When the deal you’re currently on comes to an end you may have to make much higher repayments. It’s therefore best to start looking at other offers just before your deal comes to an end, so that you can make a smooth transition to a new deal.

Remortgaging usually takes about a month, as you complete all the paperwork and have a valuation of your home conducted. When the process is complete you’ll be notified with a completion statement from your lender.

One of the most important things to check if you’re thinking about remortgaging is what it will cost you to change lenders.

If you’re still locked in to your existing mortgage, you’ll probably have to pay a charge which could amount to a few months’ interest. This is important to check, as it could negate any savings you make by switching to a cheaper mortgage.

Many mortgage companies also charge a standard fee for closing down a mortgage. The good news is that many mortgage lenders have now reduced the amounts they charge.

You might also have to pay for legal fees and a valuation. Some companies will refund this money or offer the service for  free if you switch your mortgage to them.

You need to watch out for arrangement fees too – many of the cheapest deals carry fees of over £1,000, which makes them less attractive to those who have smaller mortgages.

When you’re looking to remortgage, it’s always best to have an idea of:

• the estimated value of your home;
• the percentage of the value of the property you want to borrow (the LTV ratio);
• your annual income and the income of anyone else who will be named on the mortgage;
• it is also useful to get a ‘redemption statement’ from your existing lender, which will tell you exactly how much you owe.

You’ll also need to choose which type of mortgage you would like to compare:

• Fixed rate mortgages - with a fixed-rate mortgage the interest rate is fixed for a set period of time, usually between 2 and 5 years. Fixed rate mortgages are good if you want the security of knowing what your monthly repayments will be.
• Tracker mortgages - with a tracker mortgage your mortgage rate is set at a percentage above the Bank of England’s base rate or your lender’s standard variable rate, so if interest rates go up or down your mortgage repayments will too.
• Offset mortgages - with an offset mortgage, your mortgage and savings account are combined, and the money you have in your savings account is counted as a temporary overpayment towards your mortgage, which could save you thousands in interest. As with a standard mortgage, you can get discounted, fixed and tracker offset mortgages.

• Fixed rate mortgages
• Mortgage guide
• Mortgage interest rates
• Offset mortgages