Rising interest rates and longer terms. Here are two newsworthy trends from the mortgage market this month.

There are an increasing number of signs that the mortgage price war may be coming to an end and instead, a hike in the base rate may be on the horizon.

Earlier this month, two major high street lenders signalled they will be raising interest rates on their low loan-to-value (LTV) mortgages. Others seem to have followed suit.

Barlcays, HSBC and Natwest have increased rates on their most attractive products. We can already see the effects of this, as the number of fixed-rate sub-1% mortgages has fallen from 131 to 116 over the course of two weeks, according to Moneyfacts.

While rates are rising, it’s unlikely that we will see a sharp rise in mortgage costs as it’s rumoured that, if there is a rise in the base rate, it’s likely to be marginal initially.

We’re also only just seeing the withdrawal of mortgage products at sub-1% rates and any hikes are likely to be slow and steady.

On the other side of the mortgage equation, there is also a growing roster of companies offering mortgages with longer terms. Rothesay, the UK’s largest pensions insurance specialist, announced its plan to partner with a British lender to offer 25- and 30-year fixed rate deals for borrowers.

With full details of Rothesay’s longer-term mortgage set to be unveiled in the coming weeks, it’s still unclear how their pricing will stack up. In March this year, Habito started offering fixed rate mortgages with terms between 10 and 40 years for borrowers with deposits of at least 10%. Their rates at the time of launch were between 2.99% and 5.35% with a £1,995 product fee.

If you, a family member or friend is looking to remortgage or buy a property and would like to discuss the mortgage options available, speak to us. As a whole-of-market broker, we know all the major lenders in the marketplace and will explore all the options to find the right one for your circumstances.