I speak to mortgage advisers and brokers every day, and one topic keeps coming up – the sheer number of mortgage deals coming to an end in 2026. Alongside that comes another conversation. Advisers often ask me, “Is this really the right time to talk about protection?”

For me, the answer is yes. In fact, I’d argue there’s never been a better time to have that conversation. With many people facing higher mortgage payments and the continued cost of living pressures, a loss of income would have an even bigger impact than it might have done a few years ago.

Protection isn’t just another monthly payment to consider; it’s the financial safety net that helps keep everything else on track if life takes an unexpected turn.

When you look at what’s coming over the next few months, the opportunity becomes even clearer. According to the CACI Mortgage Market Database, around £154.5 billion of residential mortgage debt is due to mature between July and December 2026 – a 5.1% increase on 2025 – with a further £23.3 billion coming from the buy-to-let market.

Activity builds as the year progresses, with October seeing £29.4 billion of residential mortgages mature before peaking in December at £38 billion. Those are huge numbers, but what they really represent is millions of people taking stock of their finances and actively looking for advice.

MORE THAN A REMORTGAGE CONVERSATION

For advisers, that’s where the real opportunity begins. Yes, customers will want to talk about interest rates, monthly repayments and securing the right mortgage deal, but those conversations naturally open the door to something much broader. Life rarely stands still between mortgage applications.

Families grow, careers change, incomes rise and fall, mortgages get bigger and priorities shift. If we’re taking the time to review the mortgage, surely it makes sense to review the protection that’s there to support it too?

WHEN AFFORDABILITY CHANGES, PROTECTION MATTERS EVEN MORE

Affordability has become one of the biggest challenges facing homeowners. Many borrowers coming off historically low fixed rates are likely to see a noticeable increase in their monthly repayments, making every pound of disposable income count.

It’s understandable that customers start looking at their outgoings, but protection shouldn’t simply become another bill to question. If anything, when household budgets are tighter, having the right protection becomes even more important. Losing an income through illness or injury has a much greater impact when there’s little room in the monthly budget to absorb unexpected events.

It’s easy to think of protection as something customers will hopefully never need, but the reality is very different.

The Association of British Insurers reports that insurers paid £7.84 billion in protection claims during 2025 – the equivalent of £21.5 million every day – supporting hundreds of thousands of families through illness, injury, and bereavement. And it’s not just about paying claims.

During 2025, more than 7,600 people claiming income protection also received rehabilitation and health support from insurers to help them return to work, demonstrating the wider value these policies can provide when life takes an unexpected turn. Rather than asking whether customers can afford protection, perhaps the better question is whether they could afford to be without it.

THE OPPORTUNITY IS BIGGER THAN EVER

The scale of the opportunity is enormous. UK Finance forecasts around 1.8 million borrowers will refinance during 2026, with a 10% increase in external remortgaging and a 2% rise in product transfers as many borrowers choose to stay with their existing lender.

At the same time, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has reported growing numbers of borrowers securing new rates up to six months before their current deal expires through forward rate locking. Customers are engaging earlier than ever before, giving advisers even more opportunity to have meaningful conversations before decisions are made.

These aren’t cold leads. They’re existing customers who are already looking for advice and reassurance at a time when they’re reviewing one of the biggest financial commitments they’ll ever make.

CLOSING THE PROTECTION GAP

The FCA’s Pure Protection Market Study found that many consumers don’t fully understand the protection they have, or whether it still meets their needs. It also highlighted that protection isn’t always reviewed as circumstances change, despite those life changes creating new risks or leaving gaps in cover.

Our own research, conducted with the HomeOwners Alliance, found that four in ten (40%) homeowners have never reviewed or considered protection needs.

For many customers, it may have been five or even ten years since anyone last asked whether their protection still reflects their family, income, or financial commitments. A simple conversation can uncover outdated cover, missing income protection or changes that mean existing policies no longer meet their needs.

LOOKING BEYOND THE MORTGAGE

With £177.8 billion of mortgages maturing and around 1.8 million borrowers expected to refinance, advisers will be busier than they’ve been for some time.

For me, this is one of the biggest protection opportunities we’ve seen in years. The advisers I work with every day already have trusted relationships with these customers. They’re having the mortgage conversation anyway, so why not use that opportunity to check that the protection sitting alongside it is still fit for purpose? The best advice has always looked beyond the transaction.

If we can make protection a natural part of every mortgage review, we’ll help more build financial resilience and make sure they’re protected when they need it most.

Michelle Fell is account director at LifeSearch

Sources

• CACI Mortgage Market Database – Mortgage Maturity Analysis (2026)
• UK Finance – Mortgage Market Forecast 2026 https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/data-and-research/data/mortgage-market-forecasts?utm_source=chatgpt.com
• Financial Conduct Authority – Pure Protection Market Study: https://www.fca.org.uk/publication/market-studies/pure-protection-market-study-consumer-research-report-jan-2026.pdf
• Association of British Insurers (ABI) https://www.abi.org.uk/news/news-articles/2026/6/protection-insurers-pay-out-7.84-billion-in-2025/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
• HomeOwners Alliance Annual Survey 2026 – research was conducted by Opinium surveying a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults aged 18+ between February 13–18, 2026, including 1,233 homeowners: https://partners.lifesearch.com/insights/most-homeowners-havent-reviewed-their-finances-in-the-past-year