Once you have settled into your home, it is quite natural to let everything run on autopilot. Your monthly mortgage payments go out, insurance policies renew quietly in the background, and the original paperwork remains tucked away in a drawer.
However, as time passes, small details could drift away from your current reality without you even noticing.
As we progress through 2026, performing a few sensible checks is a proactive way to stay on top of your finances. This isn’t about fixing something that is “broken,” but rather ensuring that as your life evolves, your financial arrangements continue to support you.
1. Your Mortgage: Stay Ahead of the Calendar
If you currently have a fixed-rate mortgage, the most important date in your diary is the day that deal ends. A significant number of two, three, and five-year fixed rates started in previous years are set to expire throughout 2026.
When a fixed term concludes, most mortgages automatically shift to the lender’s Standard Variable Rate (SVR). This rate is typically higher and could fluctuate at the lender’s discretion. By reviewing your mortgage early, you could gain a clearer understanding of your options and avoid a situation where you accidentally drift onto a more expensive rate.
At Yes Mortgage Services Limited, we have access to a comprehensive panel of lenders. We could review your current arrangements and outline the potential paths forward, regardless of whether you decide to make a change or stay put.
2. Protection: Is Your Financial Safety Net Still Secure?
Many homeowners set up their protection policies when they first buy their property and then never look at them again. It is worth pausing to consider a vital question: if your household lost an income due to illness or an even more serious event, how would the family cope financially?
Relevant cover often includes:
- Life Insurance: Designed to help repay the mortgage or provide for your family if you are no longer there.
- Critical Illness Cover: Could provide a lump sum payment if you are diagnosed with a specific serious condition.
- Income Protection: Could help replace a portion of your earnings if you are unable to work due to injury or illness.
Life changes; maybe you have a new job, a growing family, or a change in your mortgage balance could mean your existing cover is no longer a perfect fit. A review could help ensure your protection still aligns with your current life stage.
3. General Insurance: Protecting Your Physical Asset
While buildings insurance is almost always a mortgage requirement, simply “having it” doesn’t always mean it is the right level of cover. Common oversights include:
- Rebuild costs that have not been adjusted for inflation.
- Contents cover that doesn’t account for new belongings.
- Policy excesses that might be difficult to pay in a sudden claim.
Home insurance exists to shield you from significant financial shocks. Reviewing this alongside your mortgage could help ensure your home and possessions are properly protected against the unexpected.
4. Household Resilience: The Wider View
Finally, it is helpful to look at your overall financial “breathing room.”
- Do you have a small emergency fund for unexpected home repairs?
- Have your monthly outgoings shifted significantly since you last sat down with your budget?
You don’t need to have every penny perfectly tracked, but identifying potential pressure points before they arise could make your household much more resilient in the long run.
Staying Informed
A homeowner check-up is about staying informed rather than making changes for the sake of it. As mortgages reach their end dates and life circumstances evolve, a periodic review helps ensure your financial setup remains fit for purpose.
As a broker with access to a comprehensive panel of lenders, we could provide clear information on these areas and explain your options at a pace that suits you. We will not charge a broker fee for doing so. For many homeowners, a simple review provides the peace of mind that they are still on the right track.
Book a call to review of your current mortgage or protection?
Disclaimers:
We do not charge a fee for mortgage advice.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on a mortgage or other debt secured on it.
The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors. The information provided in this article, including text, graphics, and images, does not, and is not intended to, substitute professional financial advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available in this article are for general informational purposes only. Information in this article may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information.
All the information in this article is correct as of the publish date 28th January 2026. Please be aware that by clicking on to any of the links within this article you are leaving our website. Please note that neither we nor HL Partnership Limited are responsible for the accuracy of the information contained within the linked site(s) accessible from this page.
At Yes Mortgage Services, we offer a comprehensive range of products from across the market.
Irrespective of whether you are looking to buy a new home, re-mortgage an existing property, or looking to protect your family from the unpredictability that life throws at it or protect your income if you are unable to work due to accident or ill health.
Yes Mortgage Services are committed to offering you the highest possible standards of service. We can undertake the whole process from answering the initial questions through to handling multiple product applications. Ensuring that everyone gets treated with the same urgency and maintaining your best interests are our main goals irrespective of the value of the mortgage.
We recognise that both we and our customers have everything to gain if we look after your best interests and treat you fairly in all aspect of our dealings with you.
