Martin Lewis issues warning to millions ahead of big announcement this week

MARTIN Lewis has issued a warning to millions of mortgage holders facing bill hikes.

Martin has warned that mortgage bills rise in his latest MoneySavingExpert newsletter and on ITV’s Good Morning Britain this morning.

It comes as the Bank of England is poised to raise interest rates by 50 basis points to 3.5% on Thursday.

And the move will make the cost of borrowing, including loans, credit cards and mortgage repayments more expensive.

Martin said on ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “Anybody coming off a cheap fix at the moment will likely be paying around 3% more than they were paying previously.

“That percentage rise equates to £160 more per month per £100,000 of mortgage.”;

But the exact amount that your mortgage repayment will rise by will depend on the size of the mortgage, the rate you fixed at and the loan-to-value when you remortgage.

Martin’s warning comes a day after the Bank of England warned that people with fixed-rate mortgage deals due to expire at the end of 2023 face £250 a month bill hikes when they are forced to refinance onto a higher rate.

However, Martin has pointed out that mortgage rates have dropped since last month.

He said: “Bizarrely people will find this slightly strange but fixed-rate mortgage deals have actually got cheaper than a month ago.

“When we had the calamitous mini-Budget, the prediction was that interest rates would be peaking at around 6% next year.

“The current prediction is that interest rates will be peaking at 4.5% to 4.75% next year.”;

And last month, several lenders began cutting the rates on their standard variable and fixed-deal mortgages in response to the revised forecast announced by the Bank.

But Martin still warned that households shouldn’t make any assumptions by thinking that interest rates will go back to the super cheap rates that we had in previous years.

Martin said that 4-5% fixed mortgage rates could be the new normality.

We’ve also explained below how you can choose the best mortgage deal and explained whether it’s better to go direct or use a broker.

How to choose the best mortgage deal?

There are lots of factors to consider when searching for the best mortgage deals.

The amount you can borrow and interest rate are important factors but you should also consider the type of mortgage.

Do you want the certainty of a fixed-rate mortgage or the flexibility of a tracker that could get cheaper rates and doesn’t have exit fees?

There are mortgage calculators online that will let you compare the monthly cost of a mortgage based on the interest rate and any fees.

A lender or mortgage broker will be able to offer advice on the best type of mortgage deal to meet your needs.

Shop around for the best mortgage deals rather than opting for the first bank you see.

Remember a bank or building society will only offer its own options which limits your choice.

You can also use a comparison website to find deals across the market based on your level of deposit and whether you want a fixed or variable rate.

A comparison website will usually let you search for all types of home loans such as for first-time buyers or the best buy-to-let mortgage deals.

This will give you an indication of what is on offer but you will need to do the application yourself.

Some lenders may not be on comparison websites so it is worth searching directly online as well.

Alternatively, a mortgage broker can help search the market more widely and find the most suitable deals for you.

Is it better to get a mortgage from a bank or a broker?

A bank may offer the best mortgage deal for you but shop around before you commit.

This is because a bank adviser will only offer their own products.

Limiting yourself to one bank’s products could mean you end up paying more than you needed to or you may not even meet their criteria.

Alternatively, a broker can use their market knowledge to help decide which type of mortgage and lender is best for you.

This could be of benefit if you are self-employed or have a poor credit rating as they may have more experience dealing with these sorts of applications.

It saves time on doing multiple applications, as you just tell your broker your income and expenses and they will work out the best mortgage you can get.

They can usually help with your application and will fight your corner to get you approved.

A broker will be able to advise on a range of products from different lenders, but these may also be limited to a panel so you should check if they are tied or work across the whole market.

There may, however, be extra fees when using a broker.

A mortgage may have an application or product fee but a bank adviser won’t charge anything on top of that.

In contrast, a mortgage broker may have their own fees for their advice.

When should I start looking for a new mortgage deal?

Lots of preparation is needed if you are remortgaging.

Lenders typically move households onto a more pricey SVR once your mortgage deal comes to an end.

That means you could have been on one of the best mortgage deals and suddenly your monthly repayments will increase.

But households can start looking for a new mortgage at least six months before their deal ends.

Lots of lenders now let customers lock in a new rate six months in advance.

Others will let you lock in a new rate at least three months ahead.

It can take at least two months for a remortgage to complete so you need to allow time to find a new deal and make the application.