The Niche Advice Mortgage Watch Rate Tracker Index (NARTI) looks into the progress of five year fixed mortgage rates over the course of time. It is designed to show short term trends to actively help applicants that are close to deciding to buy a property. It is information only and the details are taking using the Twenty7tec sourcing software and ranked by true cost* over 60 months, and you must always seek professional advice on your own circumstances before attempting to apply for a mortgage.
Rather than provide rafts of meaningless information NARTI focuses in on the key areas of:
He goes on to say:In this latest data set perhaps the most interesting barometer is the First Time Buyer 10% deposit category which throws up the same Mortgage Lender at the top of the rank so a direct comparison can be made and you can see a slight easing of rates”.
NOTES
* True Cost factors in the interest rate, mortgage set-up costs and any cashback rebates.
* The comparison is based on an assumed purchase price of £300,000 over a 25 year mortgage term.
* It looks at repayment method of “Capital and Interest” for Residential and “Interest only” for Buy-to-let.
* Eligibility will depend on your own personal circumstances.
Published 1 February 2021 · Last reviewed 1 May 2026
Niche Advice Mortgage Watch Rate Tracker Index (NARTI)
- First time buyer 5 year fix with 15% deposit
- First time buyer 5 year fix with 10% deposit
- Buy-to-let 5 year fix with 25% deposit
- Buy-to-let 5 year fix with 20% deposit
Director and Advisor of Niche Advice Mr Payam Azadi comments on the latest data:
“The Mortgage Lenders have been awash with challenges in the last few months. Historically interest rate charges are dependent on market conditions and business appetite. Maintaining service has emerged also a major driver for Mortgage Lenders grappling with staffing levels affected by COVID-19, remote working, the Christmas break and the surge created by the Stamp Duty deadline. These have all filtered into a perfect storm; and meant higher interest rates and larger deposit requirements have been applied intermittently to stem the flow of business to manage their pipelines.
| First time buyer 5 year fix with 15% deposit | ||
| Date analysed | 2/12/2020 | 30/1/2021 |
| Initial rate | 2.95% | 2.87% |
| Subsequent reversionary rate | 3.59% | 4.64% |
| The total amount you must pay back, including the amount borrowed is | £380,586.73 | £406,635.40 |
| Overall cost of comparison APRC | 3.5% | 4.0% |
| Type and initial benefit period | Fixed rate until 31/03/2026 | Fixed rate until 30/04/2026 |
| Minimum percentage | 15% | 15% |
| Valuation fee | £200 | Free |
| Booking fee | £Nil | £Nil |
| Lender product fee | £1,499 | £995 |
| Cashback | £Nil | £Nil |
| Lender name | Halifax, a division of Bank of Scotland | Skipton BS |
| First time buyer 5 year fix with 10% deposit | ||
| Date analysed | 2/12/2020 | 30/1/2021 |
| Initial rate | 3.54% | 3.44% |
| Subsequent reversionary rate | 3.59% | 3.59% |
| The total amount you must pay back, including the amount borrowed is | £410,794.20 | £408,796.40 |
| Overall cost of comparison APRC | 3.7% | 3.6% |
| Type and initial benefit period | Fixed for 5 years | Fixed for 5 years |
| Minimum percentage | 10% | 10% |
| Valuation fee | Free | Free |
| Booking fee | £Nil | £Nil |
| Lender product fee | £999 | £999 |
| Cashback | £500 | £500 |
| Lender name | Nationwide BS | Nationwide BS |
| Buy-to-let 5 year fix with 25% deposit | ||
| Date analysed | 2/12/2020 | 30/1/2021 |
| Initial rate | 1.94% | 2.03% |
| Subsequent reversionary rate | 5.24% | 4.49% |
| The total amount you must pay back, including the amount borrowed is | £487,876.60 | £452,161.75 |
| Overall cost of comparison APRC | 4.4% | 3.9% |
| Type and initial benefit period | Fixed rate until 31/01/2026 | Fixed rate until 31/03/2026 |
| Minimum percentage | 25% | 25% |
| Valuation fee | £340 | Free |
| Booking fee | £Nil | £Nil |
| Lender product fee | £1,995 | £1,995 |
| Cashback | £Nil | £250 |
| Lender name | The Mortgage Works a division of Nationwide Group | Accord |
| Buy-to-let 5 year fix with 20% deposit | ||
| Date analysed | 2/12/2020 | 30/1/2021 |
| Initial rate | 3.99% | 3.59% |
| Subsequent reversionary rate | 4.49% | 5.34% |
| The total amount you must pay back, including the amount borrowed is | £508,120.54 | £540,154.00 |
| Overall cost of comparison APRC | 4.5% | 4.9% |
| Type and initial benefit period | Fixed rate until 31/03/2026 | Fixed for 5 years |
| Minimum percentage | 20% | 20% |
| Valuation fee | Free | Free |
| Booking fee | £Nil | £Nil |
| Lender product fee | £1,995 | £Nil |
| Cashback | £250 | £Nil |
| Lender name | Accord | Loughborough BS |