Tamseel Din: Legal Delays Push Remortgagers onto 7% SVR

1.8 Million Fixed-Rate Deals Expire in 2026 – Why Legal Timing Matters More Than Rates

Maidenhead, United Kingdom – July 16, 2026 / J Scott & Co /

As 1.8 million UK fixed-rate mortgage deals expire this year, J Scott & Co Solicitors’ owner Tamseel Din says homeowners are focused on the wrong risk – and it’s costing some of them the rate they secured

MAIDENHEAD, Berkshire – More than one and a half million UK households are approaching the same difficult conversation with their lender. According to UK Finance, approximately 1.8 million fixed-rate mortgage deals are set to expire during 2026 – up from around 1.6 million in 2025. A significant portion of those were fixed in 2020 and 2021, when a five-year deal could be secured below 2%. The average five-year fix sat at roughly 2.57% in May 2021; today it sits closer to 5.7%.

Tamseel Din, owner of J Scott & Co Solicitors, a conveyancing firm based in Maidenhead, argues that the real risk facing many of these homeowners in 2026 is not the direction of mortgage rates – it is the legal work that gets left until the last minute.

“People understandably focus on the rate. But the rate is only protected if the transaction actually completes on time – and that depends on the legal work being lined up early,” said Din. “My advice this year is simple: if your fixed deal ends in the next six months and there is any legal element to your remortgage, get a solicitor instructed now, not the week before.”

For a straightforward product transfer with the same lender, a solicitor may not be required at all. However, for properties in England and Wales, a considerable number of remortgages involve legal work that must be handled correctly and within a specific timeframe – including:

Transferring equity – adding a partner to the title, removing an ex-partner following a separation, or buying out a sibling on an inherited property. This constitutes a legal transaction in its own right, separate from the mortgage itself, and can carry Stamp Duty Land Tax implications depending on what changes hands.
Changing lender on leasehold flats – where the incoming lender’s requirements around the lease, ground rent and service charges must be verified before completion.
Releasing equity or a further advance, where the lender instructs a solicitor to act on the transaction.
Moving home as a fixed rate ends – the most common scenario of all, and the one where timing carries the greatest weight.

None of these situations is unusual – they represent everyday conveyancing. But each takes time and depends on third parties, including lenders, managing agents and HM Land Registry, who operate on their own schedules rather than a homeowner’s deadline.

Why delay is expensive in the current market

When a fixed rate expires and no new arrangement is in place, a mortgage does not simply continue on the same terms – it rolls onto the lender’s Standard Variable Rate (SVR). Average SVRs currently sit at around 7%, well above the best available fixed deals, with the Bank of England base rate held at 3.75%. Every week of delay on the legal side can translate directly into time spent on a considerably more expensive rate.

Din points to a pattern his firm encounters regularly: a remortgage involving a transfer of equity, instructed just three weeks before the fixed rate expires, with a lease that requires chasing and a managing agent who takes a fortnight to respond. The client handles everything correctly on the mortgage side – and still slips onto the SVR because the legal file could not complete in time.

A remortgage is also a moment to check the things people put off

Din observes that when clients come to remortgage or move home, it is often the first time in years they have examined closely how their property is owned and protected. He recommends using the occasion to review:

How the property is owned – as joint tenants or tenants in common, a distinction that carries significant consequences if one owner dies, and one that is straightforward to address while the file is already open.
Whether a will reflects the current situation, particularly following a separation, a new relationship, or a change in who appears on the title.
Whether a Lasting Power of Attorney is in place, so that decisions about a home and finances can be managed if someone is ever unable to handle them personally.

“The homeowners who come through 2026 with the least stress are the ones who treated the legal side as part of the plan, not an afterthought,” Din added. “If your fixed rate is ending, talk to a solicitor early – even if it turns out you don’t need us, you’ll know where you stand.”

J Scott & Co Solicitors offers homeowners a free initial conversation to discuss the legal aspects of a remortgage, along with a fixed-fee quote once they are ready to instruct. Homeowners whose fixed-rate deal ends in 2026 can call 01628 777233 or learn more at J Scott & Co Solicitors.

About J Scott & Co Solicitors

J Scott & Co Solicitors is an SRA-regulated law firm based in Maidenhead, Berkshire (SRA number: 621898), established in 2003. The firm specialises in residential conveyancing alongside wills, probate, Lasting Powers of Attorney and related private-client work, serving clients across England and Wales. The firm’s conveyancing clients rate their experience 5.0 on ReviewSolicitors.