Most remortgages are straightforward. The thing that usually goes wrong is timing: a fixed rate ends, the mortgage moves onto the lender’s standard variable rate, and payments rise before anyone has had the conversation.
Lawes Financial is an independent, whole-of-market mortgage broker. Nathan Lawes is London-based and splits his time between London and Spain, and handles every case personally.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or any other debt secured on it.
In short
General positions across the lenders we work with, checked September 2026. Not the terms of any one lender, and not a recommendation.
Timing
The earliest most lenders will let you secure a new deal. Holding one now costs nothing and you can still move if the market improves.
The middle of the window, and the comfortable place to be. Enough time for a valuation and legal work without compressing anything.
The deadline, not the start. Beginning here is what leaves no time to compare the wider market properly.
What happens by default if nothing is arranged. Payments usually rise, and not because anything went wrong.
Start three to six months before your fixed rate ends. Many lenders let you secure a new deal within that window, so you can hold something now and still move if the market improves before completion. Leaving it to the final weeks is what pushes people onto the standard variable rate by default — not because anything went wrong, but because there wasn't time.
Cost
Lender fee
Typically £0 – £1,500
Product or arrangement fee. Fee-free deals exist, and a fee can sometimes buy a lower rate.
Valuation & legals
Often included
Many remortgage deals include a free valuation and free standard legal work.
Standard fee
£495
Payable on submission · up to 1% extra on some complex cases. Confirmed in writing before any work starts.
There are three costs to separate: the lender's fee, the legal and valuation work, and our fee. Lender product or arrangement fees typically range from £0 to around £1,500. Fee-free deals exist, and a fee can sometimes buy a lower rate — so what matters is the total cost over the deal term, not the headline. Many remortgage deals include a free valuation and free standard legal work, which removes most of the rest. Our standard fee is £495, payable when your application is submitted. In some more complex cases, an additional broker fee of up to 1% of the loan may apply. The first conversation is always free, and we always confirm your total fee in writing before any work starts.
Questions
Start three to six months before your fixed rate ends.
Many lenders let you secure a new deal within that window, so you can hold something now and still move if the market improves before completion. Leaving it to the final weeks is what pushes people onto the standard variable rate by default — not because anything went wrong, but because there wasn't time.
There are three costs to separate: the lender's fee, the legal and valuation work, and our fee.
Lender product or arrangement fees typically range from £0 to around £1,500. Fee-free deals exist, and a fee can sometimes buy a lower rate — so what matters is the total cost over the deal term, not the headline. Many remortgage deals include a free valuation and free standard legal work, which removes most of the rest. Our standard fee is £495, payable when your application is submitted. In some more complex cases, an additional broker fee of up to 1% of the loan may apply. The first conversation is always free, and we always confirm your total fee in writing before any work starts.
Sometimes — and it's worth taking seriously, because a product transfer with your existing lender is usually the quickest route.
It normally needs no new affordability assessment, no valuation and no legal work. What it can't tell you is whether it's competitive, because your lender is only ever quoting its own range. The honest comparison is that offer against the wider market, on total cost over the term. We can arrange a product transfer with your current lender too, if that turns out to be the best option.
A higher valuation lowers your loan-to-value, and lower LTV bands generally open up a wider range of products.
It's one of the few things that can improve your position without you doing anything. If you think your home is worth meaningfully more than when you bought, say so early — it changes which lenders are worth approaching.
Yes, though a change in income shape usually changes which lenders fit rather than whether it's possible.
Going self-employed, moving to contract, taking a lower-paid role, adding rental income — each is assessed differently by different lenders, and the spread between them is wide. A change that one lender treats as a problem, another treats as routine.
Often yes.
Porting carries your existing deal to the new property, which can avoid early repayment charges on it. The existing balance moves across on its current terms; any additional borrowing is assessed separately and usually sits on a new product alongside. Porting is not automatic — it's a fresh application against current criteria, and it depends on the new property and your circumstances at the time.
If your lender refuses to renew consent to let, the usual route is to remortgage onto a buy-to-let product.
Consent to let is a temporary permission on a residential mortgage, granted at the lender's discretion. Refusal is not a crisis, but it does mean acting in good time — continuing to let without permission is a breach of your mortgage terms.
If you're living abroad, there's more on this on our page for British expats living in Spain.
Plain English
At a glance
General criteria across the lenders we work with. Not the terms of any one lender, and not a recommendation. Criteria change frequently.
Timing
A new deal can usually be secured three to six months before the current one ends.
Lender product fee
From £0 to around £1,500. Fee-free deals exist, and a fee can sometimes mean a lower rate — compare the total cost over the deal.
Valuation and legals
Many remortgage deals include a free valuation and free standard legal work.
Loan-to-value
Lower LTV bands generally give access to a wider range of products.
Our fee
£495, payable when your application is submitted. An additional broker fee of up to 1% of the loan may apply on more complex cases. Confirmed in writing before any work starts.
Worked examples
Illustrative only. Not quotes, not offers, and not a recommendation. Figures are rounded.
Bought at £300,000 with £200,000 still owed — about 67% loan-to-value. The home is now worth £400,000 with the same £200,000 owed, which is 50% loan-to-value. Nothing about the borrowing changed; the LTV band did, and lower bands generally give access to a wider range of products.
An existing £200,000 mortgage is ported to a £500,000 purchase, with £100,000 of additional borrowing on a new product alongside — £300,000 in total, about 60% loan-to-value. Porting can avoid early repayment charges on the existing deal, and the additional borrowing is assessed separately.
Timing
Pick the month your current deal ends and we'll show you where that puts you.
Indicative guidance based on typical lender windows, checked September 2026. Not advice, and not the terms of any one lender.
Find out where you stand on your remortgage →Value
On £400,000 with £200,000 outstanding, your loan-to-value is about 50%, which sits in the 60% or below band. Lower LTV bands generally open up a wider range of products.
Illustrative only, not an offer or a recommendation — lenders value the property themselves and assess each case individually.
Your options
| Aspect | Product transfer | Remortgage to a new lender |
|---|---|---|
| Who it's with | Your existing lender | A different lender |
| Affordability assessment | Usually none, if you're not borrowing more | Full assessment |
| Valuation | Usually none | Usually required |
| Legal work | Usually none | Often included free on remortgage deals |
| Speed | Usually the quickest route | Longer — expect weeks, not days |
| Choice | Your lender's own range only | The wider market |
General positions across the lenders we work with, checked September 2026. Not the terms of any one lender, and not a recommendation.
Many people pay more than they need to on their mortgage without ever making a decision. The fixed rate ends, nobody has the conversation, and the standard variable rate does the rest — not because anything went wrong, but because nothing happened in time.Nathan Lawes, Director & Mortgage Adviser, Lawes Financial
Why independence matters
Lenders, not a panel
We access 80+ lenders, including specialist lenders who don't appear on comparison sites. More options means a better outcome — particularly for complex or non-standard cases.
Tied relationships
We have no commercial arrangements that influence which lender we recommend. No volume bonuses. No preferred placement deals. The recommendation you receive is based entirely on what is right for your situation.
Consumer Duty at the core
Every recommendation is held to FCA Consumer Duty standards — meaning we must demonstrate that what we advise genuinely serves your interests. It's not just a regulatory requirement. It's how we work.
Years of judgment
The lender that's right for your case isn't always the one with the lowest headline rate. Knowing where to go — and how to present a case to get the result it deserves — comes from experience that can't be replicated by a comparison engine.
How we work
One adviser. Every case.
Nathan handles your mortgage personally from first conversation to completion. No handoffs, no junior advisers, no loss of context mid-process.
No preferred lenders.
We are paid procuration fees by lenders — but at the same rate across the panel. There is no commercial incentive to recommend one over another. Your outcome is the only consideration.
Transparent costs. Always.
Fees are confirmed before work begins. The lender's procuration fee is disclosed in your Mortgage Illustration. You know exactly what this costs and exactly why.
Long after completion.
We remain available as your circumstances evolve — for reviews, remortgages, second properties, or simply a straight answer to a question. This is a relationship, not a transaction.
Next step
No charge for the call and no obligation. If your current deal is already the right one, you will hear that too.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or any other debt secured on it.