The fixed rate mortgage

This is where the interest rate is fixed at a particular rate for a specific term. The main advantage of this is that you will know exactly what your monthly payment is for a given period.

The standard variable rate mortgage

This is the standard rate of the lender which can change in line with the rates in general. If the Bank of England put their base rate up the lender will normally increase their own variable rate. If the rate increases, the payments will go up. If the rate decreases then your payments will go down.

The discounted rate mortgage

The is where the lender offers a discount off their standard variable rate for a given period. It may be a low interest in the shot term but could potentially get higher as the term continues.

The capped rate mortgage

Your mortgage will follow the lenders variable rate up to a certain level (capped rate). If the lenders rate moves above the capped rate then you will only pay interest up to your capped limit. The main advantage of this product is that you can take advantage of the decreases in the standard variable rate at the same time knowing the maximum you might have to pay.

The Base rate tracker mortgage

The rate is also a variable rate mortgage. The difference is follows the Bank of England Base Rate (BOEBR) for a given period. The main advantage is a guarantee that the interest rate will be reduced immediately following a reduction in the BOEBR irrespective of whether the lender reduces is standard variable rate.

Flexible & Offset mortgages
An offset mortgage is similar to the flexible mortgage. The main difference is that the account holders mortgage and savings are held in one account. The savings are offset against the mortgage which means that interest is only paid on the balance. The savings are not tied to the account and can be taken out at any time.