Key Post Switch or re-fix my mortgage? Breakage fee calculator and savings estimates for your case (Ireland)

Great thread, I've learned quite a bit.
  • Current lender BOI
  • Outstanding mortgage balance (how much you still owe) ~200,000
  • Approximate value of your property 270,000
  • The date you started your fixed-rate mortgage (month and year) Dec 2019 (first time buyer, start of a 30 year mortgage)
  • How many years you fixed for 5
  • Your current mortgage interest rate 3%
  • Your current monthly repayment (excluding any overpayments) 885.74
  • Your property's BER (Building Energy Rating) – D1
  • Are you due to get extra cashback from your current lender in the future, e.g., "1% after 5 years", or "2% cashback monthly"? If so, how much and when? 2100 in Dec 2024
Sorry for the estimate on the outstanding balance - my last statement was from December, and it was just over 200K.

I'm mostly worried about rising interest rates, and what I'll have to deal with when my current term ends at the end of 2024. I'm minded to 're-fix' for as long a term as I can while it's still possible.

Thank you for any thoughts!
 
Last edited:
@PatrickJK Your break fee should be zero at the moment – but it is volatile because wholesale interest rates are volatile, so confirm it with Bank of Ireland (and please post it here when you receive it, including the date of the letter).
  • Switching immediately to Permanent TSB's 4-year fixed rate (2.05% with 2% monthly cashback) will save you about €3,980 over the next 4 years
    • Note that Permanent TSB discriminate between new and existing customers, i.e., their best rates are not available to existing customers
    • For example, if you were an existing Permanent TSB customer, the best rate you would be able to switch to today is 2.95%
    • So if you switch to them now, you will not be eligible to switch to one of their low rates in the future and you will end up on a higher interest rate. When that happens, you may want to switch again to another lender, which will incur costs (and it might be impossible to switch if your financial situation has deteriorated).

  • Switching immediately to Avant Money's 7-year fixed rate (2.15% with no cashback) will save you about €2,720 over the next 4 years – but with the longer security of 7 years on a fixed rate

  • Switching immediately to Avant Money's 10-year fixed rate (2.3% with no cashback) will save you about €1,560 over the next 4 years – but with the even-longer security of 10 years on a fixed rate

  • Switching immediately to Finance Ireland's 10- or 15-year fixed rate (2.65% with no cashback) will leave you worse off by about €1,140 over the next 4 years – but with the even-longer security of 10 or 15 years on a fixed rate
    • This product has a benefit in relation to moving home in the future that is explained below
    • And your interest rate (initially 2.65%) will automatically fall as time passes and you move into lower loan-to-value (LTV) brackets. See the section "How we decide rate reductions" on this page.

  • Switching immediately to Bank of Ireland's 5-year fixed rate (3.0% with the 1% (€2,100) cashback in December 2024) will leave you worse off by about €250 over the next 4 years (or worse off by about €400 if they make you get a new valuation). But it is very simple and quick to do (no bank statements, salary cert or solicitor, etc., needed).

These savings estimates use for comparison the scenario of switching to the 2.90% rate with Bank of Ireland when the current fixed rate ends. And that's assuming that Bank of Ireland are even offering a 2.90% rate in December 2024 – it could be higher (or lower). You would get the Bank of Ireland €2,100 future cashback in such a scenario, and the savings estimates account for this. The estimates also account for any fees (solicitors' fees, valuation fee) that you have to pay and any cashback offered by the above lenders.

All of Avant's rates, and Finance Ireland's 10-year and longer fixed rates, allow you to avoid any potential break fee if you move home in the future (as long as you take out a new mortgage with them, and subject to certain conditions). And in the case of Finance Ireland you can "take your mortgage with you" – meaning that you get to keep the same interest rate when you move (again, subject to certain conditions).

The estimates also assume that your loan-to-value ratio (LTV) is currently 199.6k/270.0k = 73.9%. A slightly higher property valuation (€286k) and/or a few more monthly mortgage payments and/or a small overpayment would get you into a lower LTV bracket (< 70%), and you would be eligible for lower rates from Avant and Finance Ireland. But that is probably not a good reason to delay the switch – i.e., you can start the switch immediately.

If you want savings estimates for longer-term fixed rates, let me know.
 
Last edited:

Thanks so much Paul, that's very helpful, I really appreciate it. As a starting point I gave BOI a call and they confirmed that as of today there'd be no breaking fee, but they'll send out a letter outlining that further, and I'll post about that here when it comes in.
 
This is a super thread! Amazed I found it.

Details below:

  • Current lender - UB
  • Outstanding mortgage balance (how much you still owe) - €342k
  • Approximate value of your property - €470 to €550 range (€467 based on UB index, €550 based on last 3 Comps from houses in my Estate Avg. of 3 sold in Aug 21 Feb 22 Apr 22 exact same house - 4 year old new build)
  • The date you started your fixed-rate mortgage (month and year) - Oct 2018
  • How many years you fixed for - 4 Years
  • Your current mortgage interest rate - 2.6%
  • Your current monthly repayment (excluding any overpayments) - €1465.10 but are overpaying as €1,600 p/m
  • Your property's BER (Building Energy Rating) – check it here or estimate it if necessary - A3
  • Are you due to get extra cashback from your current lender in the future, e.g., "1% after 5 years", or "2% cashback monthly"? If so, how much and when? Nope.
I had been thinking it will be next to nothing if my numbers are correct. Using UB's own formula and what i thought are the "R" Rates for the formula.

Using 0.296% as the October 1st 2018 Rate and 1.479% as the Today rate.

I may have these backwards!

UB Breakage Calculation = (Redeemed Amount x (R-R1) x Time) divided by 360

I asked UB on Monday for 3 options:
  1. Top Up options - Given it will simply roll over to PTSB in Q4 of the Cal Year. Which they said stopped on Friday 29th of April
  2. Break Fee to switch to another rate and stay with UB and refix - They said we wouldn't be able to top up then, simply a rate change
  3. Redemption Fee with Early Breakage Charge to switch to another provider.
A letter arrived today explaining Switch rates - Stating I can switch to any of their rates and gave Break Fee for each New Rate - All ranging from a Break Fee of €3,000 - €5,000.

It is not the "Redemption Letter" ... which is also on the way i presume as the current letter doesn't mention "Redemption" - But the figures quoted above seem way off ... I only have 5 months left on the Fixed Term and some of those figures seem way off and in some cases more than 6 Months Interest.

Current Aim is as below:

Move and fix with Avant or AIB seem to be the way I would go for now.

5 Year Fixed 2.15% from AIB or the 5 / 7 Year Avant 2.15% ... I wasn't aware of the Broker Cashback offer so that might sway me to Avant. We're current AIB and UB customers. But UB leaving so AIB would be easier paperwork wise.

We'd be looking to go for €390k/€395k over 25 years (Up the amount and reduce the term) and do up the Garden & Attic to make it a 4-bed (Architect confirmed the floor to ceiling coverage and heights will make it a Bedroom.) Monthly mortgage payment to AIB and Avant with the above Rate seems to be approx. €1,700 p/m

THE BIG Q is what's the UB break fee going to be! I think it's+/- €1,500 if my maths is right. Rates ... R/R-1 not sure which goes where.

@Paul F you seem to pick up a lot of these .. so thanks in advance
 
Last edited:
Current lender: Ulster
Outstanding mortgage balance: 130k
Approximate value of your property: 410k
Date Fixed Term Ending: 31/03/2023 (was fixed for 2 years)
Your current mortgage interest rate: 2.2%
Your current monthly repayment: €1,550
Your property's BER: A3
Are you due to get extra cashback from your current lender in the future: No

I am planning to pay off my entire mortgage since I have that amount saved up. Called up the bank but they said they can't tell me the breakage fee online but will send a letter so waiting for it.
What do you think the breakage fee would be in my case?
Also, is it a good idea to pay off the mortgage since I can afford to do that and be debt free which will allow me to think about buying another property sometime later without having to worry about two mortgages?
 
Your break fee should be around €1,180 at the moment – but it is volatile because wholesale interest rates are volatile, so confirm it with Ulster Bank (and please post it here when you receive it, including the date of the letter).

Note: you may receive two separate letters from Ulster Bank a few days apart, and their structure and wording can lead to confusion. Look for the line that says: "To break out of this fixed rate early, you would have to pay a fee of €X". That amount is your break fee. Ignore all other references to break fees. (The break fees of €3k to €5k refer to the maximum possible break fee in the future if you switch to that particular UB rate.)
  • Switching immediately to Permanent TSB's 5-year green fixed rate (2.35% with €7,800 initial cashback and 2% monthly cashback) will save you about €5,300 over the next 4 years
    • The monthly repayment would be €1,720
    • Note that Permanent TSB discriminate between new and existing customers, i.e., their best rates are not available to existing customers
    • For example, if you were an existing Permanent TSB customer, the best rate you would be able to switch to today is 2.95%
    • So if you switch to them now, you will not be eligible to switch to one of their low rates in the future and you will end up on a higher interest rate. When that happens, you may want to switch again to another lender, which will incur costs (and it might be impossible to switch if your financial situation has deteriorated).

  • Switching immediately to Haven's 4-year green fixed rate (2.0% with €2,000 cashback) will save you about €3,360 over the next 4 years
    • The monthly repayment would be €1,653

  • Switching immediately to AIB's 5-year green fixed rate (2.15% with €2,000 cashback) will save you about €1,120 over the next 4 years
    • The monthly repayment would be €1,682
    • And it is quite likely that you will be able to make unlimited overpayments without penalty for the foreseeable future (see this thread)

  • Switching immediately to Ulster Bank's 5-year fixed rate (2.2% with no cashback) will leave you worse off by about €160 over the next 4 years. But it is very simple and quick to do (no bank statements, salary cert or solicitor, etc., needed).
    • The monthly repayment would be €1,691
    • Note that if you decide to do this, your mortgage move will soon move onto Permanent TSB's books, and they discriminate between new and existing customers, i.e., their best rates are not available to existing customers
    • For example, if you were an existing Permanent TSB customer, the best rate you would be able to switch to today is 2.95%
    • So if you switch to this Ulster Bank offer now, you will not be eligible to switch to one of Permanent TSB's low rates in the future and you will end up on a higher interest rate. When that happens, you may want to switch again to another lender, which will incur costs (and it might be impossible to switch if your financial situation has deteriorated).

  • Switching immediately to Avant Money's 4-, 5- or 7-year fixed rate (2.15% with no cashback) will leave you worse off by about €900 over the next 4 years – but with the longer security of up to 7 years on a fixed rate
    • The monthly repayment would be €1,682

  • Switching immediately to Avant Money's 10-year fixed rate (2.3% with no cashback) will leave you worse off by about €3,140 over the next 4 years – but with the even-longer security of 10 years on a fixed rate
    • The monthly repayment would be €1,711

  • Switching immediately to Finance Ireland's 15-year fixed rate (2.65% with no cashback) will leave you worse off by about €8,380€7,080 over the next 4 years – but with the even-longer security of 15 years on a fixed rate
    • The monthly repayment would be €1,779
    • This product has a benefit in relation to moving home in the future that is explained below
    • And your interest rate (initially 2.65%) will automatically fall as time passes and you move into lower loan-to-value (LTV) brackets. See the section "How we decide rate reductions" on this page.

These savings estimates use for comparison the scenario of switching to the 2.20% rate with Ulster Bank when the current fixed rate ends. And that's assuming that Ulster Bank (or Permanent TSB, if they have taken over your mortgage by then) are even offering a 2.20% rate in January 2023 – it could be higher (or lower). The estimates also account for any fees (break fee, solicitors' fees, valuation fee) that you have to pay and any cashback offered by the above lenders.

The savings estimates also assume that you are currently repaying €1,769 monthly to Ulster Bank, in order to simulate having a mortgage of €390k with 25 years left (whether you stay with Ulster Bank or switch to one of the above lenders). But you will need to check with the above lenders whether or not they will give you the €50k topup that you are looking for.

Note that the Avant offer of €1,500 cashback for switchers has expired.


All of Avant's rates, and Finance Ireland's 10-year and longer fixed rates, allow you to avoid any potential break fee if you move home in the future (as long as you take out a new mortgage with them, and subject to certain conditions). And in the case of Finance Ireland you can "take your mortgage with you" – meaning that you get to keep the same interest rate when you move (again, subject to certain conditions).

The estimates also assume that your loan-to-value ratio (LTV) is currently 390.0k/550.0k = 70.9% (that includes a €50k topup). A slightly higher property valuation (€558k) and/or a few more monthly mortgage payments and/or a small overpayment would get you into a lower LTV bracket (< 70%), and you would be eligible for lower rates from Avant and Finance Ireland. But that is probably not a good reason to delay the switch – i.e., you can start the switch immediately.

If you're feeling brave, you could consider the strategy outlined in this thread: switch to Haven's 2.35% 3-year fixed rate and get the €5k cashback. Then quickly switch to Haven's 2.0% green rate. If it works, you will be better off by about €6,360 in four years' time. Nobody knows for sure if Haven will allow you to do this, so you might be stuck on the 2.35% rate, but at least you'd have got the €5k cashback.

If you want savings estimates for longer-term fixed rates, let me know.

Note that Avant are about to increase some of their rates (but not their 4-year fixed rate for the moment). But if your broker gets your application into Avant and accepted by 13 May, you will be eligible for the non-increased rates.

A question for you: Did Ulster Bank tell you that the deadline for topups has passed? Because this FAQ page seems to say that the deadline is 10 June.
 
Last edited:
@trickinthewall Your break fee should be zero at the moment.

Also, is it a good idea to pay off the mortgage since I can afford to do that and be debt free which will allow me to think about buying another property sometime later without having to worry about two mortgages?
You could do this but it may not be the best use of your savings. Your priorities should usually be:
  • Paying off expensive debt
  • Building up an emergency fund in a savings/current account (3 to 6 months' living expenses)
  • Saving money for any expenses you will have over the next few years (kids; childcare; adult children going to college, etc.)
  • Maxing out your pension contributions (very large tax relief is given)
  • Overpaying/paying off your mortgage
in approximately that order.

Consider also the following: if you keep the cash in savings, you may be able to buy a new property without having to sell your current property at the same time (assuming a lender will give you a second mortgage). I.e., when buying your next place, you won't be part of a "chain", hoping that your current place sells at around the same time as you close the purchase of your new place. That may make it easier to buy your next place, but there are no guarantees. Then you can sell your first property as soon as you've completed the purchase of the new one.

But if that is several years away, having lots of cash sitting on deposit earning nothing and being eroded by inflation is not a great idea.

(If you are actually talking about a plan to own two properties in the future, not just one, and you pay off your mortgage in full now, consider how long it would take you to build up a 20% deposit for the second property. And remember that landlords get taxed very heavily on rental income.)
 
Last edited:
Thanks @Paul F! - Really appreciate the detailed reply.

A question for you: Did Ulster Bank tell you that the deadline for topups has passed? Because this FAQ page seems to say that the deadline is 10 June.

Yes. They stated that the AIP had to be agreed by 29th of April and there was a 6 week period to draw dawn ending on June 10th - Which is that date I also saw in the FAQ you also mentioned. It seems they left that detail off the FAQ! It's exactly 6 weeks date wise, so make sense in what I was told.
 
Thanks for the info. In this thread, @Sunny suggests that you can no longer get Approval in Principle (that deadline has passed) but you can still get full approval (until 10 June) even without AIP. But perhaps that is not correct.
 
Last edited:
Was quoted a break fee of €1200 for ulster Bank loan at start of this year. Got a quote on Friday and that has now dropped to zero. Thanks to this thread and @Paul F for highlighting this change in interbank rates.
 
Just as a heads up. I recently requested a breakage fee letter from AIB and it took 6 weeks for it to arrive. We are going to break out of our 5 year fixes rate of 2.35% to make a lump sum payment and then refix again. Same rate for either 3 or 5 years.

Actually if anyone has any advice that would be great. Once we make the lumpsum payment our mortgage will be down to 60k with 6 years left on it. Our repayments are currently €910 a month and will remain the same. There is a possibility we will be able to pay another lump in 2 to 3 years so would we be better to fix for 3 or 5 years? Guessing rates will have gone up in that time so 5 years would be better. We could then clear off the mortgage once the 5 year fixed term is up? Thoughts?
 
@Paul F - 2nd letter arrived today as you mentioned it would. The 1st one is actually very confusing read in isolation.

€696.40 is the Early Redemption Charge - Dated 4th of May, valid for 2 weeks to 17th May 2022. The rates must be very volatile! Thanks again for your help
 
Just as a heads up. I recently requested a breakage fee letter from AIB and it took 6 weeks for it to arrive.
Was your break fee zero?

It is quite likely that any break fee quote you get in the future will be zero (for the foreseeable future), even after you break and re-fix. That means that you could re-fix now for 5 years at 2.35% and overpay with a lump sum in two or three years and you will probably not have to pay a penalty. That overpayment would not require you to break and re-fix. In summary, fixing for 5 years looks like the better choice.
 
Yea the break fee is zero.

Perfect we are going to go with the 5 years I think. Probably just forget about it then and see if we can we can just pay it off when the 5 years is up. Hopefully we will have enough saved to clear the balance which will be roughly around 12k!

Everything is so slow with the bank though. I rang this evening to see if they had received the document stating we wanted to be moved to the variable rate. They had but couldn't deal with it until our mortgage is paid for this month which will happen on Thursday. Could take 10 working days to process this request. Then once that is dealt with it could be another 10 working days for them to take the lump sum and after that another 10 days to refix. Now the girl on the phone told me to email the documents for the overpayment and the ammendments to them and that would speed up the processes but there's a possibility of it taking up to 6 weeks and it took about 1 week for all this to go through last year.
 
The safest option (given that Avant have just announced a rate increase and other lenders will probably follow suit soon) might be to tell AIB that you want to break out of your current fixed rate now and you want to re-fix immediately for 5 years at the same rate (effectively "resetting the clock").

When that is done you can overpay at your leisure. Technically, you should ask them for a break fee quote after you have re-fixed but before you overpay, but it is very likely to be zero. (When I called last week to get a break fee quote, they posted it out within a week.)

I and others have found that all you need to do to make an overpayment is transfer the money from your current account to your mortgage account. See this thread. To be safe, you should only do this within the window that the letter says the break fee quote is valid for.
 
Thanks for the info. In this thread, @Sunny suggests that you can no longer get Approval in Principle (that deadline has passed) but you can still get full approval (until 10 June) even without AIP. But perhaps that is not correct.

You can't get approval in principle since the 29th April. Anyone who got approval in principle before that date does has until the expiry date on their Approval In Principle Letter to draw down. I would be very surprised if Ulster Bank are giving approval in principle letters for less than 2 months. Would be completely pointless. Existing ulster bank customers can still make a full mortgage application up to the 10th June. But you will need a full loan offer by that date. It will remain valid for 6 months. Ulster Bank Tracker mortgage holders or offset mortgage customers can apply for a mortgage loan to move or a top up mortgage after the 10th June.
 
Hi Guys , love this thread , hope I can get a steer not quite in same boat ………
Currently on KBC Variable , want to Fix for 5-7 years as we could be looking at prolonged period of higher rates , but also plan to trade up in that period and take the remainder over at that rate, so breaking fees are of interest to me . With avant raising rates its made my choice a little harder , finance Ireland I believe also offer facility to transfer balance on same rate if you trade up with them.

  • Current lender - KBC
  • Outstanding mortgage balance (how much you still owe) - €235k (19 years left)
  • Approximate value of your property - €360k
  • The date you started your fixed-rate mortgage (month and year) - currently on variable came off fixed couple of years ago .
  • How many years you fixed for -
  • Your current mortgage interest rate - 3.25%
  • Your current monthly repayment (excluding any overpayments) - €1421
  • Your property's BER (Building Energy Rating) – check it here or estimate it if necessary - A3
  • Are you due to get extra cashback from your current lender in the future, e.g., "1% after 5 years", or "2% cashback monthly"? If so, how much and when? No.
 
Really great thread this and thank you to all involved. We are providing our own example below, we are currently with Ulster Bank, we need to move this mortgage. We are concerned that any move will be delayed. We have looked at a moving to Avant, but am concerned that we cannot afford up-front switching costs and break fees at the moment. Any advice appreciated.

Current lender: Ulster Bank
Outstanding mortgage balance (how much you still owe): €195,000 (19 years remaining)
Approximate value of your property: €750,000
The date you started your fixed-rate mortgage (month and year): Sep 2018
How many years you fixed for: 4 (so fixed rate ends this Sep 2022)
Your current mortgage interest rate: 2.6%
Your current monthly repayment (excluding any overpayments): €1,050
Your property's BER (Building Energy Rating): D1
Are you due to get extra cashback from your current lender in the future, e.g., "1% after 5 years", or "2% cashback monthly"? If so, how much and when? No
 
Because you are on a variable-rate mortgage, you do not have to pay a break fee.
  • Switching immediately to Haven's 4-year green fixed rate (2.0% with €2,000 cashback) will save you about €11,480 over the next 4 years

  • Switching immediately to AIB's 5-year green fixed rate (2.15% with €2,000 cashback) will save you about €10,180 over the next 4 years
    • And it is quite likely that you will be able to make unlimited overpayments without penalty for the foreseeable future (see this thread)

  • Switching immediately to Avant Money's 4-, 5- or 7-year fixed rate (2.05% with no cashback) will save you about €9,020 over the next 4 years – but with the longer security of up to 7 years on a fixed rate

  • Switching immediately to Avant Money's 10-year fixed rate (2.2% with no cashback) will save you about €7,720 over the next 4 years – but with the even-longer security of 10 years on a fixed rate

  • Switching immediately to KBC's 5-year fixed rate (2.45% with no cashback) will save you about €6,860 over the next 4 years. And it is very simple and quick to do (no bank statements, salary cert or solicitor, etc., needed).
    • Note that if you decide to do this, your mortgage move will soon move onto Bank of Ireland's books, and they discriminate between new and existing customers, i.e., their best rates are not available to existing customers
    • For example, if you were an existing Bank of Ireland customer, the best rate you would be able to switch to today is 3%
    • So if you switch to this KBC offer now, you will probably not be eligible to switch to one of Bank of Ireland's low rates in the future and you will end up on a higher interest rate. When that happens, you may want to switch again to another lender, which will incur costs (and it might be impossible to switch if your financial situation has deteriorated).

  • Switching immediately to Avant Money's "One Mortgage" (a 2.4% fixed rate with no cashback) will save you about €5,780 over the next 4 years – and the interest rate will remain fixed for the remainder of your mortgage term
    • You would have to shorten your mortgage term to 15 years to be eligible for this rate
    • The monthly repayment would be €1,556

  • Switching immediately to Finance Ireland's 10- or 15-year fixed rate (2.55% with no cashback) will save you about €4,660 over the next 4 years – but with the even-longer security of 10 or 15 years on a fixed rate
    • This product has a benefit in relation to moving home in the future that is explained below
    • And your interest rate (initially 2.55%) will automatically fall as time passes and you move into lower loan-to-value (LTV) brackets. See the section "How we decide rate reductions" on this page.

These savings estimates use for comparison the scenario of staying on the variable rate with KBC and assume that that rate doesn't change between now and May 2026 (which is unlikely). The estimates also account for any fees (solicitors' fees, valuation fee) that you have to pay and any cashback offered by the above lenders.

All of Avant's rates, and Finance Ireland's 10-year and longer fixed rates, allow you to avoid any potential break fee if you move home in the future (as long as you take out a new mortgage with them, and subject to certain conditions). And in the case of Finance Ireland you can "take your mortgage with you" – meaning that you get to keep the same interest rate when you move (again, subject to certain conditions).

Note that Avant are about to increase some of their rates (but not their 4-year fixed rate for the moment). But if your broker gets your application into Avant and accepted by 13 May, you will be eligible for the non-increased rates.
 
Last edited:
Hi Paul,

Am posting here as started a thread this morning.

To request guidance, please provide the following information:
  • Current lender - AIB
  • Outstanding mortgage balance (how much you still owe) - €168,000
  • Approximate value of your property - €345,000
  • The date you started your fixed-rate mortgage - currently on variable of 3.15% LTV > 80%
  • How many years you fixed for - NA
  • Your current mortgage interest rate - 3.15%
  • Your current monthly repayment - Pay fornightly €508
  • Your property's BER (Building Energy Rating) – C1 approximately
I know switching is an option but I don't want to switch at present.Thanks