We went for a two-year deal

PROPERTY development manager Nathalie Thompson, 33, and her husband Stuart, 35, an architect, were keen to keep down their loan costs with a fixed rate.

They acted swiftly when their previous fixed rate loan came to an end in January and secured a new two-year deal at 1.29 per cent with Halifax. There was a £999 arrangement fee.

The couple, pictured right with their 18-month-old son Oliver, like the predictability of payments with a fixed rate. Their Victorian property in the Newbridge area of Bath, Somerset, has risen in value since they bought it in 2012 and they now have about 25 per cent equity. Nathalie says: ‘We looked at fixing for longer than two years. But the two-year rates were so competitive we decided to make the bigger savings now and risk that rates won’t rise considerably before we need to remortgage. ‘We felt the Halifax deal offered a good combination of low rate and reasonable set-up fee.’