According to analysis by Moneyfacts that looked at customers comparing fixed rate deals in February, around 45% of second-time buyers opt for 60% loan-to-value (LTV) deals, along with 68% of remortgage customers.
This compares to only 17% of first-time buyer borrowers electing a 60% LTV deal.
Going up to 80% LTV, over a third of customers looked at this tier, followed by 24% of remortgage customers. Only 18% of first-time buyers looked at this LTV level.
Around 48% of first-time buyers looked at the 90% LTV option, which compares to 18% of second-time buyer customers and 6% of remortgage customers.
Approximately 11% of first-time buyer customers looked at 95% LTV, a rise from 2% of second-time buyers and remortgage customers.
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Moneyfacts said homemovers were increasingly opting for “predictable finances over stretching themselves to make a move”.
Nearly half of second-time buyers and homemovers researching mortgages chose fixed terms of five years or more, echoing that payment stability is important to this buyer cohort.
| LTV | Borrower type | Moneyfacts Average Mortgage Rates (at LTVs) | |||
| First-time buyer | Second-time buyer | Remortgage | Two-year | Five-year | |
| Max 60% | 17% | 45% | 68% | 4.23% | 4.55% |
| Max 80% | 18% | 35% | 24% | 4.77% | 4.84% |
| Max 90% | 48% | 18% | 6% | 5.07% | 5.11% |
| Max 95% | 11% | 2% | 1% | 5.44% | 5.46% |
| Max 100% | 5% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Consumers comparing fixed term mortgage deals on moneyfactscompare.co.uk, 1-28 February 2026, by borrower type and LTV. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Average mortgage rates correct as at 28 February 2026.
Source: Moneyfacts Analyser |
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Adam French, head of consumer finance at Moneyfactscompare.co.uk, said: “Mortgage search behaviour reveals that while first-time buyers continue to stretch into higher-LTV borrowing out of necessity, existing homeowners are prioritising lower risk and greater financial certainty.
“Moneyfactscompare.co.uk data also shows almost half (45%) of second-time buyers and homemovers are opting for fixes of five years or longer, significantly more than first-time buyers or remortgage borrowers. At the same time, searches are heavily concentrated at lower-LTV tiers among existing borrowers, with more than two-thirds of remortgage borrowers looking at loans of 60% LTV or below.
“This suggests many households are choosing stability over mobility. Slower house price growth means fewer homeowners are trading up quickly and instead are focusing on protecting affordability and insulating themselves from future economic and rate uncertainty. The housing ladder hasn’t stopped moving, but in an increasingly volatile – and expensive – world, it appears plenty of prospective borrowers are climbing it much more cautiously.”
