Mortgage brokers are seeing more remortgage activity, but say geopolitical uncertainty, cost of living pressures and affordability concerns are making borrowers more cautious about moving home.
The latest broker survey from Family Building Society found that 51% had seen an increase in remortgage applications.
The same proportion said there had been a fall in mortgage applications from borrowers looking to move home, up from 38% in the lender’s previous broker sentiment survey in autumn 2025.
The research also suggested borrowers are favouring shorter fixed terms. Some 71% of brokers said there had been a rise in customers choosing two-year fixed mortgages rather than five-year deals, reflecting uncertainty over future rates and household finances.
Family Building Society said geopolitical tensions, alongside cost of living pressures including higher energy prices, were weighing on borrower confidence.
The survey also pointed to the growing role of family support in the market. More than half of brokers surveyed, 59%, said they had seen an increase in enquiries from families wanting to help with mortgage payments or moving costs.
At the same time, 79% said the appetite among younger people to get on the housing ladder remained strong.
Comments gathered from brokers as part of the survey suggested that home ownership remains an important ambition for younger buyers, even as affordability pressures intensify.
One broker said: “Owning a home is a popular life goal for many young people. They see influencers with their own home and want the same”
Another said: “Parents are keen to get their children on the property ladder and are helping with deposits.”
Looking ahead to the next six months, brokers identified low-income households as the group most exposed to affordability pressures, cited by 73% of respondents. First-time buyers were named by 54%, while 46% pointed to self-employed borrowers as being particularly at risk.
Alistair Nimmo, director of marketing at Family Building Society, said: “It is clear the longer geopolitical tensions persist the more likely homeowners are going to put on hold any plans to move on, while first time buyers are as reliant on family support as in the past.
“The move towards two-year fixed mortgages shows that borrowers do not want to be tied into higher rates in the longer term and are hoping the market will return to the relatively lower rates seen in the recent past.”
