Inflation remains stubbornly high and interest rates continue to rise. According to UK Finance, 1.6 million homeowners will see their fixed rate mortgage deals come to an end by December 2024. As their mortgage deals were made when interest rates were low, many are concerned they won’t be able to afford their new monthly mortgage payments. Homeowners on tracker or variable rates are seeing their mortgage rates rise to unaffordable levels, in some cases.
What are the options to reduce your monthly mortgage payments?
Consult a mortgage broker to explore your options
If your mortgage repayments have risen to unaffordable levels, consider consulting a mortgage broker to get advice specifically tailored to your circumstances.
Mortgage advisors have access to tools that help them identify mortgage products, rates and options that may not be readily available to you if you are trying to navigate your way through the current situation alone. They will work to understand your circumstances, scan the market and deliver options to help you reduce your monthly payments. They will provide you with practical help and advice and help you decide what to do.
Consider re-mortgaging to reduce your monthly payments
If your current monthly payments have risen to a level where they are unaffordable it could be a good option to consider re-mortgaging.
A good mortgage broker would explain your options, which might include:
Extending your mortgage term
If your mortgage is on a 25 or 30 year term you might be able to extend that term up to 40 years depending on your current age. This would spread your mortgage repayments over a longer period so that your monthly repayments are reduced.
A mortgage broker has tools which allow them to find the best mortgages for you that are repayable over longer periods so you don’t pay more than you must, overall. They will explain all the options to you and ensure any recommendation they make is affordable.
If you are over 55 there are also later life mortgage options that a broker could explain to you, too.
Moving to an interest only mortgage short term
Your mortgage advisor could also help you explore interest only mortgage options. As they have access to more lenders and products that are available direct, they will be able to find the right product for you.
With an interest only mortgage, you are only paying the interest on the loan and not paying off the loan itself, so the monthly repayments should be more affordable.
However, you do need to consider that you have to pay off the capital of the loan eventually so perhaps this should only be a short-term solution. Ask about flexible interest only options that would allow you to return to a repayment mortgage when there are affordable options on the market once more.
Downsizing your home
If your home is bigger than you need, now might be a good time to consider selling and buying something smaller. Of course, this is only an option for some people, but if you can downsize it might be you don’t need a mortgage for the new, smaller property at all.
If you do need a smaller mortgage for your smaller home a broker could help you understand how much you could comfortably afford to borrow. They will scan the mortgage market and find the right product for you and your circumstances and support you through the whole process of selling your house and buying your new, smaller home.
Switching to a different lender offering better rates
It could be that there are more affordable options in the market that would reduce your monthly mortgage payments. Trying to find the right product yourself is a daunting and time-consuming task and so working with a mortgage broker can take the pressure off you and make the process simpler. Mortgage brokers have access to lenders, products and product information not available to the customer direct, so they will be able to provide you with options that suit your circumstances.
They will work to understand your financial position, the equity you have in your home and scan the market to provide you with options and a recommendation. They will then manage the whole application process and can even liaise with surveyors and solicitors to make sure the process is as straightforward as possible for you.
If you’d like to talk to our trusted mortgage broker partner about your options, please get in touch now!
