What’s happening to the mortgage market?
- 1 day ago
- 1 min read
Affordability challenges had been easing slightly in recent months - mortgage rates were slowly coming down due to cuts to Bank Rate. In January 2026, the average monthly mortgage payment was 7% lower than the previous year.
However, the recent outbreak of war in Iran has made the short-term outlook much more uncertain. At the start of March, 472 residential mortgage products were taken off the market within a 48-hour period, in response to rising swap rates. This trend continued throughout the month, with a fifth of overall mortgage deals removed from the market by 21 March. First-time buyers have been hit particularly badly – they may notice that rates are higher on low-deposit deals.
Adam French at Moneyfacts commented, “It’s unwelcome news for borrowers, as the prospect of falling mortgage rates has quickly given way to rate rises. How far they could go is now heavily dependent on how global markets and inflation expectations evolve as conflict in the Middle East unfolds.”
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Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
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