Rate watch
Notes on rates, dated and plain
Short pieces from the advisers on what moved and what it means if your deal ends this year. Each one carries the date it was written, because in mortgages that matters.
Topics: Buy-to-let · Self-employed · Remortgage · Rates
Example rates, 1 September 2026
2-year fix4.29%
5-year fix4.09%
2-year tracker4.54%
Buy-to-let 5-year fix4.79%
Latest ·
Buy-to-let: how rental cover decides what you can borrow
Landlord lenders care about the rent more than your salary. A worked example of the 125% and 145% tests, and why the stress rate is not the rate you pay.
Read the noteAll notes
- Buy-to-let Buy-to-let: how rental cover decides what you can borrow Landlord lenders care about the rent more than your salary. A worked example of the 125% and 145% tests, and why the stress rate is not the rate you pay. 5 min read
- Self-employed Self-employed? Which year of accounts the lender uses matters more than how many Two lenders can look at the same tax returns and offer £60,000 apart. Here is why, with a worked example from a Bath sole trader. 4 min read
- Remortgage Put a reminder in for six months before your fix ends Most lenders let you lock a new rate up to six months ahead, and reverting to a standard variable rate for even one month is the most expensive accident in a mortgage. 3 min read
- Rates Why your first five years barely move the balance On a repayment mortgage the early payments are mostly interest. Here is the arithmetic, and what it means for which rate you should be arguing about. 4 min read