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Halifax increases rates

ended 08. September 2026

Halifax is the latest lender to hike, introducing the following changes to its mortgage product range with effect from tomorrow (Wednesday 9 September). Views ASAP please as story being written now. 

Homemover and First time buyer

Rate increases of up to 0.12% on selected fixed rate products.

Remortgage

Rate increase of 0.18% on 60% loan to value 2 year fixed rate with £1,999 product fee. 

8 responses from the Newspage community

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Darryl DhofferVerified
Founder at The Mortgage Geezer
UK's biggest lender increase rates - For homeowners already staring down punishing refinancing cliffs, this leaves zero breathing room .This is precisely why the upcoming Budget cannot come soon enough. The Chancellor needs to deliver genuine fiscal credibility and calm swap markets. Borrowers need tangible relief and fiscal stability, because right now, this Budget better be an absolute masterclass.
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Tracey DixonVerified
Buy-to-Let Mortgage Specialist & Owner at Pure Mortgage and Protection
Halifax’s latest increases are modest, but they reinforce how quickly the mortgage market can shift. Borrowers approaching a purchase or remortgage should secure a rate early—waiting could prove costly.
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Stephen PerkinsVerified
Managing Director at Yellow Brick Mortgages
Halifax joining the growing list of lenders increasing fixed rates reinforces how quickly the mortgage market has changed direction. Only recently borrowers were becoming accustomed to lenders competing rates downwards, but higher wholesale funding costs have interrupted that trend.

The increases themselves may look relatively small, but when several major lenders move within days of each other the competitive landscape can change quickly. It is another reminder that mortgage rates rarely move in a straight line, even when borrowers expect the next move in Bank Rate to be down.
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Craig FishVerified
Director at Lodestone Mortgages
Halifax nudging up rates by as much as 0.12% on homemover and first time buyer fixed deals, and 0.18% on their two year remortgage product, is a small move but it tells a bigger story. Borrowers need to get used to this as the new norm, because cheap rates are not coming back anytime soon. Lenders are reacting to swap rate movements, and every time one of the big names moves, the rest tend to follow within days. For first time buyers already stretching to afford a deposit, even a fraction of a percent added to a rate changes the monthly numbers meaningfully. My advice remains the same regardless of which lender moves first, get advice early, understand what you can actually afford at today's rates, not last year's, and don't wait for a rate that may never come back.
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Iain ThompsonVerified
Director at Evolve Finance
Halifax joining the rate hike parade confirms that the high street mortgage market is under severe upward pressure. With global money markets driving up funding costs, even the UK’s biggest lenders are forcing borrowers to pay more, adding a sharp premium to fixed deals from tomorrow morning.

For everyday homeowners, the 0.18% jump on low-leverage remortgages hits hard. It proves that having lots of equity is no longer an escape card from the rising tide, as banks aggressively squeeze margins across both first-time buyers and seasoned homeowners alike.

The immediate next step for anyone facing a remortgage is to lock a deal in today. Sitting on the sidelines hoping for a sudden drop is a losing gamble. Most lenders let you secure a rate six months in advance, giving you a vital shield against these escalating weekly price hikes.
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Aaron StruttVerified
Product and Communications Director at Trinity Financial
We have been waiting for Halifax to raise its rates, I suspect Nationwide will be the next big lender to push up its prices. Many of the rate hikes we have seen so far have been smaller than expected and there are still a fair few two, three and five-year fixes priced between 4.5% and 4.6%, while Barclays still has its 3.99% two-year tracker and other lenders are offering tracker rates that are only marginally more expensive. Hopefully this will be the end of the rate rises for a while, but there are certainly no guarantees. Multiple small mortgage price rises add up and ultimately deter people from buying homes, they also put pressure on the Bank of England to maintain the base rate rather than push it up.
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Tony SanchezVerified
Founder at Bridging Loan Directory
Halifax’s increase adds to evidence that mortgage repricing is becoming more widespread rather than remaining confined to one or two lenders.

The significance extends beyond borrowers taking out a new mortgage. Higher rates can reduce the amount available when property investors try to refinance from bridging onto longer-term finance. A relatively small pricing change can affect affordability calculations, weaken an intended exit and leave a borrower needing additional equity.

Recent cases reported by Bridging Loan Directory have already involved lower valuations, delayed sales and borrowers restructuring their finance. If mortgage rates continue rising while property sales remain slow, lenders will place even greater emphasis on stress-tested exits and credible alternatives from the beginning.
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Doug MillerVerified
Director at Lansdown Financial Services
Halifax is the latest lender to edge mortgage rates higher, and we’re now seeing a little more upward pressure across the market with many high street banks increasing their interest rates, albeit slightly, in the last few days.

These are relatively modest increases and certainly shouldn’t cause borrowers to panic, but they are a reminder that mortgage rates don’t move in a straight line. Lenders continually adjust pricing in response to funding costs, swap rates, demand and their appetite for new business. This is certainly nothing like the increases we saw early this year.

For borrowers approaching the end of a fixed deal or currently looking to buy, the message is not to rush into a poor decision, but equally not to assume that waiting will automatically result in a cheaper mortgage. Securing a competitive rate now can often provide some protection, while in many cases there may still be an opportunity to switch to a better deal if rates improve before completion.