With a fixed-rate mortgage, the amount you pay stays the same for an agreed term. This gives you peace of mind knowing your monthly repayments won’t change within that term – making budgeting easier. By contrast, with a variable-rate mortgage, the amount you pay can go up and down with the bank of england base rate. Not sure what the base rate is? It influences the interest rates that lenders charge for things, such as mortgages and other loans. So, if the base rate rises, your monthly repayments are likely to go up, and vice versa.