A February 2026 Rightmove release reported that its modelled monthly mortgage payment for January was £119 below the equivalent figure a year earlier. The headline refers to a research calculation, not a reduction received by every existing borrower. Reviewed on 15 October 2026.
What the comparison included
The January 2026 model produced a monthly payment of £1,592. It used average asking-price and mortgage-rate data, a 20% deposit and a 25-year mortgage term. The average two-year fixed rate used for January was 4.23%, compared with 4.99% in January 2025.
The analysis also showed that the modelled payment was £35 higher than in December 2025. A year-on-year fall therefore did not mean that payments had fallen over every shorter comparison period.
Make comparisons consistent
Our practical suggestion is to keep the deposit, repayment term and loan amount visible whenever comparing two examples. Changing several inputs at once can make a cheaper-looking payment difficult to interpret.
Keep the date beside any rate quotation, and identify which costs have been included. A research average should remain separate from a lender’s individual quotation and the conditions attached to it. Existing borrowers should use their own mortgage documents when working out what they actually pay.
Read this as an archive snapshot
The release was published on 19 February 2026 and described January. It is not a statement about rates available today, nor a forecast of the next movement in borrowing costs.
For a decision now, use current quotations and consider the overall commitment rather than relying on the historical headline saving. A regulated mortgage adviser can assess options against individual circumstances.
Source: Rightmove’s January mortgage analysis, published February 2026.