Mortgage rates
Just under a third of households have a mortgage, according to the government’s English Housing Survey, external.
When interest rates rise or fall, around 1.2 million people on tracker and standard variable rate (SVR) deals usually see an immediate change in their payments.
But more than eight in 10 mortgage customers have fixed-rate deals. While their monthly payments aren’t immediately affected, any future deals are.
Mortgage rates are much higher than they have been for much of the past decade, with the average two-year fixed rate now at just under 6%, according to the financial information service Moneyfacts.
This means homebuyers and those remortgaging have to pay a lot more than if they had borrowed the same amount a few years ago.
About 1.6 million deals are expiring in 2024, according to banking trade body UK Finance.
You can see how your mortgage may be affected by interest rate changes by using our calculator: