Published 1 February 2021 · Last reviewed 1 May 2026
Niche Advice Mortgage Watch Rate Tracker Index (NARTI)
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:
- 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:
โThe 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.
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 ratesโ.
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 ยฃ300,000 over a 25 year mortgage term.
* It looks at repayment method of โCapital and Interestโ for Residential and โInterest onlyโ for Buy-to-let.
* Eligibility will depend on your own personal circumstances.ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
Most buy-to-let mortgages are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. A small number of buy-to-let mortgages are FCA-regulated โ typically Consumer Buy-to-Let (where the borrower is not acting in the course of a business, such as an accidental landlord who has inherited or moved out of a former main residence) and Family Buy-to-Let (where the property is let to an immediate family member). Limited-company buy-to-let, portfolio buy-to-let and standard personal-name buy-to-let are not regulated by the FCA.
Where the underlying mortgage is not FCA-regulated, the lender's conduct on that loan is not covered by FCA rules and you may have reduced access to the Financial Ombudsman Service for complaints about the lending decision or product terms. However, Niche Advice Limited is a Credit Broker authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA No: 750263), and our broking activity โ including the introduction we make to the lender โ IS FCA-regulated under the FCA's CONC rules. Complaints about our broking service can therefore be referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service in the usual way.




