When your fixed-rate mortgage deal is coming to an end, timing matters. Leave it too late and you risk rolling onto your lender’s Standard Variable Rate, which is usually significantly more expensive. Start too early and you might miss out on better rates that become available closer to your renewal date. Here’s a sensible timeline to follow.

4–6 months before your deal ends: start looking

This is the point to begin reviewing your options. Most lenders allow you to secure a new rate up to around six months before your current deal expires, and many mortgage offers remain valid for three to six months — so there’s usually no downside to arranging a new rate early. If rates fall further before your deal ends, you may also be able to switch to a better offer before completion, depending on the lender.

What happens during this window

• Review your circumstances: has your income, employment status, or credit profile changed since you last applied? This affects which lenders and rates are realistically available to you.
• Check your outstanding balance and property value: your loan-to-value ratio may have improved since your last mortgage, particularly if property values have risen or you’ve overpaid, which can open up better rates.
• Compare product transfer vs. full remortgage: a product transfer (staying with your existing lender on a new rate) is usually quicker and doesn’t require the full affordability checks a new lender would apply, but it’s worth comparing against what’s available elsewhere on the whole market — the convenience of staying put isn’t always the best value.

2–3 months before: apply

Once you’ve decided on a deal, this is typically when to submit the application, whether that’s a product transfer or a full remortgage with a new lender. A full remortgage involves similar steps to a purchase — application, valuation, and legal work — so it needs more lead time than a product transfer.

1 month before: confirm and prepare for completion

By this stage you should have a mortgage offer in place, timed to complete on or around the day your current deal ends. This avoids any gap where you’d be on the more expensive SVR, even temporarily.

What if you’re already past this point?

If your deal has already ended and you’re on your lender’s SVR, it’s not too late — you can still remortgage or arrange a product transfer, you’ll simply want to move as quickly as possible to limit the time spent on the higher rate.

Why the timeline matters

Mortgage rates can move for reasons entirely outside your control — economic data, Bank of England decisions, lender appetite for new business. Starting the process early doesn’t lock you into a worse outcome; in most cases it simply gives you more options and more time to make a considered decision, rather than a rushed one at the last minute.

Lender policies on how far in advance you can secure a new rate, and how long mortgage offers remain valid, vary and can change — always check current terms with your lender or broker.

We track your renewal date and start the conversation with plenty of time to compare the whole market, so you’re never left on an expensive SVR by accident. Get in touch to talk about your remortgage.