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The Interest Rate Rise and Your Mortgage

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The Bank of England recently announced that they were imposing another interest rate rise of 0.5% taking the current Bank’s Base Rate to 4%. This marks the tenth consecutive rate rise by the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) since December 2021. This rise now means that interest rates are now at the highest they’ve been since 2008.

Despite this, there is some good news as fixed-rate mortgages are starting to fall, which is a boost to first-time buyers. Lenders have reduced their rates by as much as 0.7%, with two, three and five-year fixed-rate mortgages seeing the most significant reductions.

This is because lenders had widely expected this latest rate rise in their market forecasts. The view is that it will rise to 4.5% by the summer, which will see rates peak and then start to come down, making borrowing more affordable. The ‘Base Rate’ is set by the Bank of England and is the interest rate it charges to other banks and financial institutions when they borrow money and is used to control inflation.

The Bank of England has announced that the Base Rate would continue to rise to tackle record-high inflation, which has a target of 2%. At present, it is 10.5%.

Mortgage deals were pulled after the mini-budget, which threw the economy into chaos. They were introduced at higher rates, but after the autumn statement was announced to mitigate the market reaction, rates started to fall again. They are still coming down because we are still in a period of stability.

If you’re looking to purchase a home, the mortgage market is now looking much more favourable for buyers, with more deals available and falling rates. This will give the property market more confidence ahead of the typically busy warmer months.

Most five-year, and many two-year fixed-rate deals are now available below 5%, compared to more than 6% at their peak in October last year, and competition between lenders is increasing, which is good for borrowers who can shop around. In addition, for those saving for a deposit, the interest rate on savings is higher than last year’s.

It’s estimated that around 15% of borrowers are on a variable rate or tracker mortgage, so the January announcement means that their mortgage repayments will rise. However, they will also reap the benefits as we progress throughout the year and rates decrease. Those on a historically low five, three or two-year fixed mortgage rate will feel the impact of a rate rise the most as their payments will jump considerably from around 1.5% to over 5%. Those on a fixed-rate deal with no immediate requirement to remortgage will find that their prices won’t change.

If your mortgage deal is coming to an end within the next six months, you can start to apply for a new deal now and secure a mortgage without paying an early repayment charge, as this will be a switch or product transfer. This shouldn’t require you to prove your income or undertake affordability testing. Mortgage applications are taking several months, so it’s worth looking as soon as possible – a mortgage broker will give you a whole market view. They will look at how much you can borrow based on your circumstances.

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Mortgages

Buying a new home is exciting and one of the most significant purchases you will make, so we want you to enjoy the experience and be happy with your decision. If you are looking to purchase your first home, move to a new property, re-mortgage your existing home, or purchase a buy-to-let property, we are here to assist and make the process as stress-free and efficient as possible.

The first step is to obtain a decision in principle for you. This ensures you will be approved for a mortgage subject to further checks. With unlimited access to the whole of the UK mortgage market, and a proven track record of acquiring mortgage approvals for the most complex of situations, we will then source the best possible mortgage deal to suit your individual needs and circumstances.

First-time buyers
Buying your very first property can be an incredibly daunting prospect. It’s hard to know where to start. That’s why we’re here to help and guide you through the entire process. We will provide tailored advice based on your current circumstances and future plans, ensuring that you are aware of all potential costs associated with buying and owning a property. We will then source the most suitable mortgage deal to suit your budget, objectives, and repayment preferences.

Re-mortgage
A re-mortgage is used by existing home owners for a number of reasons. They may wish to move to a new home, switch to a better more suitable mortgage deal for their current property, consolidate debts, or increase their borrowing to carry out home improvements.

You can re-mortgage with the same lender or with a new mortgage lender. Many mortgage deals come with a discounted interest rate for the first few years. When these end, it is common for homeowners to source a new deal that offers a lower interest rate, a new fixed rate or discounted interest rate.

If you are thinking about re-mortgaging your existing home, there are a number of important factors that must be taken into consideration to ensure it is the right time to switch mortgages and the best decision for you and your family in the long run.

For example, will the mortgage lender charge valuation and solicitor fees? Will your final repayment be higher or over a different period of time? Will you have to pay an early repayment charge on your current mortgage? These are the types of considerations we will look at carefully to ensure you get the very best mortgage deal.

Think carefully before securing other debts against your home or property. You may have to pay an early repayment charge to your existing lender if you re-mortgage.

Your home is at risk if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or other loan secured on it.  

Buy-to-let
If you’re considering purchasing a residential property as a buy-to-let investment, there are specific types of mortgages available that differ from standard residential mortgages. We will provide tailored advice and source the most suitable mortgage deal based on your deposit and whether your main aim is to acquire monthly rental income or achieve long-term capital growth.

Adverse credit history
Obtaining a mortgage when your credit history is less than perfect can be an obstacle, but it’s not impossible. It may affect how much you can borrow and the interest rates you are offered, but there are lenders who provide mortgages to home buyers with adverse credit. At The Mortgage Hub, we have an exceptional track record of helping clients who have faced financial difficulties secure a suitable mortgage deal that enables them to buy their new home.

Insurance

When acquiring a mortgage to purchase a new home or buy-to-let property, it’s important to protect not only yourself, but your investment. It is therefore essential to take out adequate insurance in the event of fire or floods, theft, accidental damage, illness or bereavement, unemployment, separation, or any other eventuality that could put your home at risk. We’ll look at your protection needs and tailor your cover to your lifestyle.

We can provide you with advice and competitive quotes on the types of policies that are relevant to your circumstances. We are an Exclusive Associate of Vitality; therefore we are tied to Vitality and only recommend their products, in the event of Vitality declining a client we can look at other providers. The most common types of insurance we advise for home owners and landlords include:

Buildings & Contents

Mortgage lenders insist that homeowners insure their properties with adequate buildings and contents cover. This type of policy will normally insure your residential home or buy-to-let property, (as well and fixtures, fittings and contents) against damage caused by fire or flooding, lightening and storms, subsidence, accidental damage, escape of water, theft and vandalism.

The policy you choose should be sufficient to cover the rebuild cost of your property. The best deal is usually acquired by taking out a joint buildings and contents insurance policy. However, if you buy a flat that is managed by a factor, you may find that buildings insurance is already in place for the entire apartment block. This is something we will check for you when you purchase your new property.

Life Insurance

Whilst most people insure their cars, homes and other valuable belongings, many don’t insure themselves. Life Insurance provides a valuable safety net for your family if the unthinkable should happen, helping them financially during a difficult time. Many policies include terminal illness benefit, too.

Critical Illness Cover

This type of policy aims to ensure you are financially protected against the impact that being diagnosed with a specific critical illness could have on you and your loved ones. It is common for this type of cover to be added to a life insurance policy.

Serious Illness Cover

Serious Illness Cover helps protect you financially if you fall ill. This will pay you out a cash lump sum based on the severity of your condition – meaning that you can focus all your energies on making a full recovery.

Unlike typical critical illness cover, this pays out for the less severe conditions as well as the more critical ones. So if you get ill and need to claim, this insurance will give you a percentage of your cover depending on how severe your condition is. This means that if a condition gets caught early on, the insurance provider will pay out a portion to alleviate the stress, but you’ll also have the rest of your cover should you need to claim again and again.

Income Protection

Most homeowners would find it difficult to cover their mortgage payments if they were unable to work. We never like to imagine that we’ll face ill health or accidental injury, but it’s important to protect yourself and your home just in case. An Income Protection insurance policy may be affordable and is intended to provide income to help replace any lost earnings as a result of illness or injury.

Redundancy & Unemployment Cover

This type of policy provides short-term income protection, usually for up to 12 months, if you are unable to work as a result of involuntary redundancy. Some income protection policies also combine sickness and accident cover, as well as unemployment.

Landlords’ Insurance

If you purchase a buy-to-let property, a standard home insurance policy may not provide sufficient cover. Landlords’ Insurance is usually the best choice. This type of policy usually includes buildings insurance, but it could also cover things like loss of rent, compensation claims from tenants, legal cover, loss of income if your property is damaged, and property owner’s public liability.

Some insurance covers are based on an assessment of the health of the applicant. Most insurance companies are unlikely to cover previous or existing medical conditions, customers should always refer to policy documentation and seek advice in order to understand what the policy does and does not cover before making an application. You should never cancel any existing insurance policies without seeking advice and ensuring you are adequately covered and on risk with any new policies you set up

Our Services

At Hub Financial, we provide impartial advice on every type of mortgage for every type of client, including first-time buyers, existing home owners looking to remortgage, buy-to-let investors, and customers with adverse credit. With extensive knowledge of the complex mortgage market, and established relationships with all leading UK mortgage lenders, we have access to the whole market and are able to source and secure the most competitive mortgage deals for even the most complicated and delicate of client circumstances.

To ensure everything runs smoothly from start to finish, our team of experienced mortgage advisors can also help you to find your next home or investment property. We will arrange property viewings on your behalf, provide feedback to estate agents and sellers, handle all negotiations on your new property to secure the best price on your investment, provide advice on Home Report surveys, and arrange a reputable solicitor to finalise the sale of your home and/or purchase of your new property.

When you buy a new property, it’s critical that you take measures to protect yourself and your investment as much as possible in the event of illness, unemployment, separation, or any other significant change in circumstances. In addition to our mortgage services, we can provide advice and competitive quotes on the various types of insurance you may require as a home owner or buy-to-let landlord.

In addition to essential Buildings and Contents cover, the most common types of insurance policies you may wish to consider are Life Insurance, Critical Illness, Income Protection, Redundancy & Unemployment, and Landlords’ Insurance. If you’re not sure what you need or what these policies cover, we will provide you with all of the required information to help you make an informed decision on what’s best for you and your family

Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage

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