Interest rate rise UK: Bank of England raises rate to 0.75 per cent in August 2018 – what does it mean for your mortgage?

Around a third of London borrowers could see the cost of their mortgages rise by hundreds of pounds following August's interest rate rise.
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The Bank of England has voted unanimously to raise UK interest rates to their highest level in almost 10 years.

The decision to raise the base rate to 0.75 per cent from 0.5 per cent pushes the Bank rate to its highest level since March 2009.

It is only the second Bank rate rise since the financial crisis in 2008, after a rise in November 2017 pushed interest rates back up from a historic low of 0.25 per cent to 0.5 per cent.

Today’s announcement will come as little surprise after most economists predicted the monetary policy committee’s decision.

Another interest rate rise of 0.25 per cent was widely expected to take interest rates to 0.75 per cent in May.

However, disruption caused by the "Beast from the East" that hit this March led to the economy growing by just 0.1 per cent in the first three months of the year and the Bank opted to keep interest rates at 0.5 per cent.

Two more rate rises are expected in 2019 and 2020.

Will I still be able to afford my mortgage after today’s interest rate rise?

“According to Nationwide Building Society, only a third of London borrowers are on variable rates. This means the vast majority of borrowers will see no impact on their mortgage payments having taken advantage of the low fixed rates that have been on offer,” said Colin Payne associate director at Chapelgate Private Finance.

However, the third of London homeowners on variable rates will see their average mortgage payments pushed up by more than £300 a year as a result of the rise.

Today’s interest rate rise will push up the average mortgage by £26 per month to £1,180, further squeezing household incomes.

“In real terms, wage rates are still at levels prevailing in 2005. Moreover, a small proportion of households already have a relatively high debt service burden. For those, some of whom will be on variable rates, any rate rise will be a struggle, even though the impact on the wider economy and most households is likely to be modest,” said Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s chief economist.

That said, while a rise in interest rates may come to a shock to anyone who bought their first home in the past decade, higher mortgage interest will have been factored into lenders’ calculations since new rules were introduced in 2014 to curtail high-risk lending, so don’t panic.

Should I fix my mortgage now?

People on a variable rate mortgage benefit from interest rate changes when the base rate drops. However, mortgage experts agree that today’s announcement heralds a general upwards trend in interest rates.

Mark Carney, governer of the Bank of England, announced the Bank rate rise to 0.75 per cent today
Bloomberg

This means that borrowers on a variable rate should seek out a new deal now if they can.

“If November’s rate rise was important for its symbolism, today’s rate rise is equally important for its message to the market: the record low interest rate era is over, and interest rates are now headed in one direction,” said Craig McKinlay, sales and marketing director at Kensington Mortgages.

“This rise should be a call to action for those borrowers who haven’t yet remortgaged to get in touch with a mortgage broker and seek a new competitive deal."

Will house prices go up or down now interest rates have risen?

The 0.25 per cent rate rise may push down already falling London house prices, as the cost of home ownership looks set to rise further.

Sold house prices in every London borough, May 2018

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“It’s not the relatively modest increase in interest rates which is significant – the message it sends about their future direction is far more important,” said London estate agent and former residential chairman of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Jeremy Leaf.

“The change is likely to compromise already fragile confidence to take on debt in the property market and wider economy.”

London house prices fell for the fourth month running in May to £479,000, a drop of £2,000 off the value of the average home in the capital.

Prices were expected to continue to decline slightly for the next couple of years due to uncertainty over Brexit, combined with the likelihood of further interest rate rises.

“In our regional forecasts we predict price falls in London in 2018 and 2019 of 1.7 per cent and 0.2 per cent respectively," said Richard Snook, senior economist at consultants PwC.

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