Remortgage Advice in Sittingbourne & Kent
The most expensive mortgage mistake is doing nothing. Don't drift onto your lender's standard variable rate.
When your fixed or discounted deal ends, your lender moves you onto its standard variable rate, which almost always costs more, often by hundreds of pounds a month. Remortgaging is simply making an active choice instead. You take a new deal, with your current lender or a better one.
I review what you're paying, search a wide range of lenders (including checking what your existing lender will offer to keep you) and handle the switch end to end. Many remortgages complete with no legal fees to pay.
What working together looks like
A proper comparison, including staying put
Sometimes a 'product transfer' with your current lender is genuinely the best move. Often it isn't. I compare both honestly, because I'm paid to find you the right answer, not to move you for the sake of it.
Timing it so you never pay the SVR
A new deal can typically be secured up to six months before your current one ends. Start early and the switch lands the day your fix expires, with no expensive gap and no last-minute panic.
Borrowing more, with eyes open
Releasing equity for an extension or consolidating debts can make sense, but securing more against your home has real trade-offs. I set them out plainly so you decide with the full picture.
One homeowner I reviewed had let a £180,000 repayment mortgage lapse from a 4.5% fix onto a standard variable rate above 7%. The jump was costing several hundred pounds every month, for as long as they stayed put. Rates and figures move constantly and yours will differ, but the pattern is the same. The SVR is priced for inertia. A free review tells you exactly what staying put is costing you.
When to start
The remortgage timeline is friendlier than most people think.
- 6 months before your deal ends, start reviewing. New offers can be secured now
- 3 months before, the application goes in, the offer is issued and solicitors are instructed
- On the deal end date, the new mortgage starts as the old one finishes
- Already on the SVR? Start today. Every month of waiting has a cost
Asked all the time, answered honestly
When should I start looking at remortgaging?
About six months before your current deal ends. Most lenders let you secure a new deal that far ahead, and if rates fall before completion, it can often be reviewed. Starting early costs nothing and removes the deadline pressure.
Do I have to remortgage with a new lender?
No. Staying with your current lender on a new deal (a product transfer) is often quick and involves minimal paperwork. But it's only the right answer if the numbers beat the wider market, which is exactly what I check.
What costs are involved in remortgaging?
Possibly none of the obvious ones, as many remortgage deals include free valuation and legal work. Watch for arrangement fees rolled into the loan and any early repayment charge on your existing deal. I always compare the total cost, not just the headline rate.
Can I remortgage to pay for home improvements?
Often, yes. Releasing equity to fund an extension or renovation is one of the most common reasons to remortgage. The borrowing still has to pass affordability checks, and I'll show you what it does to your monthly payment before you commit.
Is consolidating debts into my mortgage a good idea?
It can lower your monthly outgoings, but you're converting short-term debt into long-term secured borrowing, potentially paying more interest overall and putting your home behind the debt. It's right for some situations and wrong for others. This decision genuinely needs advice.
My circumstances have got worse. Can I still remortgage?
Quite possibly. Even if the wider market says no, a product transfer with your existing lender usually doesn't require a new affordability assessment. There's nearly always a better answer than drifting onto the SVR.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
Let's talk about remortgages
A free, no-obligation chat is the easiest first step. Tell me what you're hoping to do, and I'll tell you honestly how I can help.