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What a fair remortgage comparison looks like
A remortgage decision is not a contest for the lowest advertised percentage. It is a calculation of what each option will cost for the period you expect to keep it, with affordability and flexibility checked separately.
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For every option, compare:
- the same outstanding mortgage balance;
- the same repayment basis (repayment or interest-only);
- the same remaining term;
- the same comparison horizon, such as the introductory period or the date you expect to move;
- all fees and charges, including those from your existing lender;
- the rate after the initial deal ends and the consequences of rate rises; and
- features you may actually use, such as overpayments or portability.
Keep two results visible: the cost over your likely holding period and the full-term figure shown in the mortgage illustration. They answer different questions. A full-term calculation is useful for understanding the product, but it can be misleading if you expect to move or refinance before the mortgage ends.
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Step 1: collect the figures before comparing offers
Use your latest mortgage statement and the written offer or mortgage illustration for each deal. Record the following in one worksheet.
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Your existing mortgage
- Outstanding balance on the date the new mortgage would start.
- Remaining term and repayment type.
- Current rate and the date the current fixed, discounted or tracker period ends.
- Any early repayment charge (ERC), exit fee, deeds-release fee or administration charge.
- Any discount or cashback that would be lost by leaving early.
An ERC normally depends on when you repay, so ask the current lender for the exact amount on the proposed completion date rather than relying on an old statement.
Each new deal
- Initial rate, rate type and the date it ends.
- Arrangement or product fee, booking fee and account fee.
- Valuation, legal, administration and transfer costs, noting which are paid by the lender.
- Cashback or other incentives and when they are paid.
- Whether a fee is paid upfront or added to the mortgage.
- ERCs, overpayment allowances and any portability conditions.
- The lender’s follow-on rate after the initial period.
MoneyHelper says changing a mortgage can cost £1,000 or more. That is an indicative warning, not a quotation for your case; the actual amount depends on the products, lender and timing.
Step 2: make the offers genuinely comparable
Use one balance, term and repayment basis
A payment calculated on a £180,000 balance over 22 years cannot be compared directly with a payment on £200,000 over 20 years. Enter the same balance and remaining term into each lender’s calculator, or ask for illustrations based on identical assumptions.
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For a fixed or discounted deal, the introductory period is often the practical first horizon: compare what you will pay from completion until the point at which you expect to review the mortgage again. If you plan to move, use the likely sale date or a conservative range of dates. Also keep the full-term cost from each illustration for context.
Do not compare one offer’s two-year cost with another offer’s 25-year total without labelling the difference. If your plans are uncertain, run at least two scenarios—for example, staying through the initial period and leaving after one year.
Show what happens after the initial rate
A deal can look cheap during its fixed period but become expensive on its follow-on variable rate. Your worksheet should state the rate assumed after the introductory period and whether the calculation assumes it stays constant. If no future rate is known, show a range rather than presenting one forecast as fact.
Step 3: add every cost of switching
Put the costs into the period in which they arise. A fee paid at completion reduces your cash immediately; a fee added to the loan increases the balance and attracts interest for as long as it remains outstanding.
| Cost item | Where it belongs | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Arrangement or product fee | New mortgage | Amount, refund conditions and whether it is financed |
| Booking or application fee | New mortgage | Whether it is refundable if the application fails or you withdraw |
| Valuation, legal or administration cost | New mortgage | Included service versus a cash fee; lender-paid does not always mean every cost is covered |
| Cashback or incentive | New mortgage | Payment date and any requirement to repay it if you leave early |
| Early repayment charge | Existing mortgage | Exact amount on the intended completion date |
| Exit or deeds-release fee | Existing mortgage | Amount and when it is collected |
| Interest on financed fees | New mortgage | Extra interest until the fee is repaid |
Include an ERC even when it is not payable today if your plan is to leave before the current deal ends. Conversely, do not assume a fee-free remortgage is cost-free: a higher rate may outweigh the saving on fees.
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Worked example: why the lowest rate can lose
MoneyHelper’s illustration uses a £200,000 mortgage over 20 years and assumes the rate stays constant for the whole term, with monthly interest for simplicity. Its figures are examples, not current market offers.
| Illustration | Rate | Arrangement fee | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current deal | 5% | Not stated | £316,876 |
| Option 1 | 4.5% | None | £303,572 |
| Option 2 | 4.4% | £2,000 added to the mortgage | £304,102 |
Option 2 has the lower headline rate, yet its total is £530 higher than the no-fee 4.5% option because the financed fee more than offsets the rate reduction under those assumptions. The example demonstrates the method; it does not predict what any lender will offer you.
Step 4: separate monthly affordability from total cost
Record the monthly payment because it determines whether the mortgage fits your budget. Then record the cash paid at completion and the cumulative cost over your chosen horizon. A payment can be lower because the term is longer, because fees have been shifted into the loan, or because the initial rate is temporary. None of those automatically makes the deal cheaper.
For a repayment mortgage, a useful worksheet has these lines:
- Opening balance at completion.
- Monthly payment during the initial rate.
- Total of those payments over the comparison period.
- Fees paid upfront.
- Fees added to borrowing, plus the interest they generate.
- Any ERC or exit costs.
- Balance remaining at the end of the period.
Comparing the remaining balance matters. Two options can require the same cash but leave different amounts to repay because of a different term or fee financing.
APRC: useful context, not a personal forecast
APRC means Annual Percentage Rate of Charge. MoneyHelper describes it as the yearly total cost of a mortgage, including fees and charges, assuming you keep the mortgage for its full term. Lenders must state it.
Use APRC to compare the structure of offers on a consistent, full-term basis. Do not treat it as the cost you will personally pay if you expect to move, repay early or switch when the introductory rate ends. An ERC, a different future rate or a sale before the full term can make your actual result materially different.
When APRCs differ, inspect the assumptions behind them: the term, fees, follow-on rate and any mandatory features. Then run the separate holding-period calculation that matches your plans.
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Read the mortgage illustration line by line
The mortgage illustration is the offer-specific checklist. It should set out:
- the amount borrowed and repayment schedule;
- the initial rate, rate type and APRC;
- upfront fees and the overall amount payable over the full term;
- the effect of rate rises on a variable or tracker payment;
- overpayment rules and penalties;
- product features, restrictions and insurance requirements, if any; and
- what happens if you stop wanting the mortgage or repay it early.
Check that the illustration uses your actual balance and term. Ask the lender or adviser to correct any mismatch before relying on the payment or total-cost figures. Keep the illustration alongside your worksheet so that a fee or penalty is not lost in an application summary.
Flexibility can be worth more than a tiny rate difference
Early repayment and moving
If you may move, compare the ERC schedule with the likely completion date. A portable mortgage may allow the rate to move to another property, but portability is not automatic: MoneyHelper warns that you may still need a new application and affordability assessment. A product that is slightly cheaper but expensive to exit can be poor value for a borrower who expects to move soon.
Overpayments
If you intend to overpay, compare the permitted annual amount, whether unused allowance carries forward, and the penalty once the allowance is exceeded. Model the payment you realistically expect to make; an overpayment feature has no value if the household cannot use it.
Future borrowing
Someone planning an extension or other borrowing should check whether the lender permits additional borrowing and on what rate. Do not choose a deal solely on the assumption that a future advance will be available.
Timing, loan-to-value and eligibility
MoneyHelper recommends beginning a review up to six months before a fixed or discounted deal ends. Starting early gives you time to obtain an ERC figure, check your credit and income evidence, and secure a rate without waiting until the last week.
Calculate loan-to-value (LTV) as:
LTV = outstanding mortgage balance ÷ current property value × 100
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Eligibility can include income, employment, credit history, property type, lease length and affordability stress tests. The lowest advertised rate is not a saving if you cannot qualify for it or the application fails after you have incurred a fee.
Compare your current lender with external remortgages
Ask the existing lender for its product-transfer options as well as requesting external quotations. A product transfer may avoid the same level of application work, valuation or affordability assessment, although it is not automatically the cheapest or most suitable route.
For a new lender, include the time and risk of a full application. Compare the written terms—not an advert—with the current lender’s offer, using the same balance, term and horizon. Check whether either option permits a later transfer without a new ERC.
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Using comparison websites and advisers
MoneyHelper identifies MoneySavingExpert, MoneySuperMarket, Moneyfacts and Which? as possible comparison routes. Results can differ because sites use different panels, filters, update schedules and eligibility assumptions. Check more than one source, then verify the actual product and fees in the lender’s illustration.
An adviser may search many lenders, but “whole of market” is not a universal guarantee of every available product. Ask:
- Which lenders and product types are included?
- Are any lenders excluded?
- Is advice limited to a particular panel?
- Will you pay a fee, will the adviser receive lender commission, or both?
- When is any fee due, and is it payable if the mortgage does not complete?
Write down the adviser’s recommendation and the reasons given. You remain responsible for checking that the illustration reflects your balance, term, fees and plans.
A practical decision framework
After calculating the numbers, rank each option against the question it must answer.
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| Question | Evidence to compare | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| What is cheapest for my likely stay? | Total cost to the chosen review or moving date | Only the initial rate is shown |
| Can I afford it every month? | Payment at the initial rate and under the stated rise scenario | Payment works only by extending the term without examining the balance |
| Can I leave or overpay? | ERC schedule, overpayment allowance and portability terms | Large penalty during the period you may move |
| Will I qualify? | LTV, valuation, income and property criteria | Advertised rate has restrictive eligibility |
| What happens after the deal? | Follow-on rate and APRC assumptions | Full-term figure hides an expensive variable period |
There is no universally best remortgage. A borrower staying for the full introductory period may favour the lowest calculated cost; someone likely to move may rationally pay a little more for a smaller ERC; someone with limited cash may accept a financed fee only after including its interest and checking the higher balance.
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Common mistakes and how to correct them
Comparing rates on different terms
Problem: one payment is based on 20 years and another on 25 years.
Correction: request illustrations with the same remaining term, then compare the balances as well as payments.
Ignoring the existing lender’s charges
Problem: the new deal appears cheaper because the ERC was omitted.
Correction: obtain a dated redemption statement and place the charge in the switching-cost column.
Adding a fee to the loan without costing the interest
Problem: a £2,000 fee is treated as £2,000 even though it remains outstanding for years.
Correction: include the additional interest and the higher closing balance.
Treating APRC as the expected personal cost
Problem: a full-term percentage is used for a borrower planning to move in two years.
Correction: use APRC for full-term context and calculate the two-year cost separately.
Assuming portability removes all checks
Problem: a borrower commits to a product believing it can be moved automatically.
Correction: confirm the portability conditions and the possibility of a new affordability assessment.
Consolidating unsecured debts without modelling the risk
Rolling other debts into a mortgage can extend repayment over a much longer period and places the home at risk if the mortgage is not maintained. MoneyHelper advises prioritising and clearing loans separately where possible. If consolidation is being considered, obtain regulated advice and compare the total repayment of each debt rather than focusing only on the lower combined monthly payment.
Step-by-step worksheet
- Write down the balance, repayment type, remaining term and current deal end date.
- Request the current lender’s exact ERC and redemption costs for the dates you are considering.
- Collect a product-transfer illustration and external mortgage illustrations.
- Standardise the balance, term and repayment basis in every calculation.
- Choose a realistic holding period and run a second scenario if your plans are uncertain.
- Enter every fee, incentive, financed amount and exit charge.
- Calculate the monthly payment, cash required now, total cost over the horizon and balance remaining.
- Review the APRC and full-term amount in each illustration, without substituting them for the holding-period result.
- Check ERCs, overpayments, portability, follow-on rates, valuation assumptions and eligibility.
- Verify the preferred option in the final written illustration before applying or paying a non-refundable fee.
The result should be a documented choice based on cost, timing and flexibility—not a decision made from the largest percentage on a comparison screen.
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