Think carefully before securing other debts against your property.

Consolidating debt may reduce your outgoings now, however you may pay more interest over your mortgage term.

Your property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

Remortgaging means switching your mortgage to another deal with another lender without moving property.

Some people switch mortgages because it will work out cheaper for them. For example, the introductory discounted interest rate may have finished with your current lender, and you might get a cheaper deal with another lender.

Other people remortgage to consolidate their debts.

By consolidating your debts into a mortgage, you may be required to pay more over the entire term than you would with your existing debt.

It is worth noting that a remortgage isn’t always the most suitable option. Sometimes any saving made by securing a cheaper interest rate can be outweighed by the fees incurred in setting up the new mortgage and converting unsecured debt to secured debt may not be in your long term interest.

If you plan to switch mortgage, remember to look at the overall repayment period too. You may be able to pay less monthly, but check the final repayment date of the mortgage. It may be longer than your current deal.

You may be able to find a new mortgage deal with your current lender – and it may even work out cheaper to do so.

In fact, many lenders allow you to switch your mortgage deal quite frequently.

If you decide to refinance your mortgage before your current deal expires, be prepared to potentially incur an early repayment fee from your existing lender. This charge typically amounts to a percentage of your remaining mortgage balance, potentially resulting in a significant cost.

Securing short term debts against your home could increase the term over which they are paid and therefore increase the overall amount payable. You may have to pay an early repayment charge to your existing lender if you remortgage.