Average mortgage rates are falling by much smaller margins in June compared to last month, while overall choice of mortgages fell slightly alongside a drop in the average shelf-life of a mortgage, Moneyfacts reveals.

The data shows that the average mortgage rates on the overall two- and five-year fixed rates fell by 0.06% and 0.01% to 5.12% and 5.09%, respectively.

It also found that average two- and five-year fixed rates were last lower in September 2022 at 4.24% and November 2024 at 5.09%.

At the start of June last year, the average five-year fixed rate was 5.50%, compared to the start of this month, the rate was 0.41% lower at 5.09%.

However, the average two-year fixed rate has fallen by 0.81% over the same period, down from 5.93% to 5.12%.

The average two-year fixed rate is 0.03% higher than the five-year equivalent but this is the lowest the gap has been since rates became inverted in October 2022.

Moneyfacts’ average mortgage rate fell to 5.12%, down from 5.17% month-on-month. It is down from 5.77% since June 2024, but lower than 5.34% in June 2023.

The average shelf-life of a mortgage product fell to 17 days from 19 days a month ago. This is now at the lowest count since March 2025 when it stood at 16 days.

Product choice overall fell month-on-month to 6,843 options, but is compared to the same time last year when there were 6,629 options.

Elsewhere, the average two-year tracker variable mortgage rate fell to 4.91%, the first month it has fallen below 5% since March 2023.

The average ‘revert to’ rate or standard variable rate (SVR) fell to 7.48%. The highest recorded rate was 8.19% during November and December 2023.

Moneyfacts finance expert Rachel Springall says: “Lenders were busy repricing their mortgage ranges during May, but the margins of cuts to the overall two- and five-year fixed average rates were much smaller than seen a month prior.”

“While the Bank of England base rate cut last month could be celebrated by borrowers, lenders can move rates in the opposite direction if swap rates rise.”

“This can also cause opposing rate moves on longer-term fixed versus short-term, depending on the divergence of swap rates.”

“Product choice for residential mortgages dipped slightly month-on-month and while this might be counterintuitive from the rises seen over the last couple of months, the drop was relatively modest (150 options).”

“Choice overall is still higher than at the start of 2025, and deals at the higher loan-to-value tiers are plentiful, despite also experiencing a small monthly dip. This churn of mortgage deals can occur if lenders pull and replace deals to cope with interest rate moves and borrower demand.”

“The flow of changes led to a drop in the average shelf-life of a deal to 17 days, now at its lowest point in three months. This may further prompt the millions of borrowers due to refinance this year to seek advice and secure a new deal.”

“First-time buyers on the other hand may feel it’s not quite the right time to get a mortgage if they are struggling with the cost of living, but it’s always worth getting independent advice to assess the variety of options available.”

“Lenders have been reviewing their stress testing over recent weeks, so some first-time buyers who have struggled with affordability criteria might be surprised to find they could now be eligible.”

Moneyfacts revealed there was no movement in the overall average two and five-year fixed rates last week, but there were major changes at 50% loan-to-value.