Fixed mortgage rates generally are on the increase, as well as some variable deals which directly track the Bank of England base rate, analysis has found.

The Bank of England base rate increased 0.15 percentage points in December 2021, taking it to 0.25%.

Financial information website Moneyfacts found the overall average rate for term tracker mortgages has increased in line with this uplift, rising from 3.38% in December to 3.53% this month. 

With more people moving into new homes following the pandemic, there is a long list of things you will have to prepare for.

Despite the excitement of a new house, moving into a new home can be one of the most stressful tasks you can do.

A study of 2,000 adults who recently moved found more than a third claimed it was one of the most stressful events of their life and 22 per cent were put off from ever moving again.

Other annoyances were being unable to fit furniture through the front door, delicate possessions breaking and getting used to new bin days.

The chaos of moving subscriptions and utilities from one home to another topped the list of 40 bugbears, followed by simply having to pack and unpack your belongings.

Needing to make endless phone calls to sort everything out, not having blinds or curtains to begin with and struggling to work the new heating system also featured in the list.

Charles Davies, spokesman for full fibre broadband provider Hyperoptic, which commissioned the research, said: “The findings show just how many aspects there are to moving home which can cause stress.

“Whether renting or buying a place, it’s not only the physical moving of boxes which takes time and effort but the mountain of admin that comes with doing so, including installing Wi-Fi.

“The to-do list can be endless when moving home, so making the job of connecting to broadband in a new place a smooth and stress-free experience can make life a lot easier.”

Moving is stressful

The study also found six in 10 find the experience of moving ‘stressful’, with almost a third going as far as to say it was ‘overwhelming’.

To make things easier, 38 per cent would have liked to be able to move over a few days rather than just one, while 26 per cent think better communication from estate agents and solicitors would help.

Nearly three in 10 (29 per cent) would also have liked to have had Wi-Fi available as soon as they moved in, rather than having to wait an average of 10 days for it to be connected.

Four delays in the process of moving

It also emerged movers typically experienced four delays in the process, including the moving date (40 per cent), Wi-Fi being installed (38 per cent) and furniture arriving (21 per cent).

And 31 per cent had to take days off to wait in for deliveries or installations only to be let down, estimating they wasted three whole days each.

As a result, a quarter got impatient waiting for things to be done, while more than a fifth admitting that not having the internet while they moved in highlighted just how much they rely on it.

Delays in having the internet installed also meant 13 per cent ended up paying more for phone 4G, 12 per cent couldn’t work from home and one in 20 even missed payment deadlines for bills.

Because of this, those surveyed via OnePoll would happily pay 11 per cent more for a property if it had access to full fibre broadband, and 27 per cent would delay their move to ensure they had Wi-Fi.

Find out what type of home mover you are here.

Top 40 biggest bugbears when moving home:

1.           Organising services e.g., electricity, subscriptions etc.

2.           Spending lots of time packing boxes/bags

3.           Redirecting post

4.           Raining on moving day

5.           Waiting on a move-in date

6.           The new home being dirty

7.           Endless admin

8.           Waiting for Wi-Fi to be installed

9.           Having to clean my old home

10.         Being unable to fit furniture through the front door

11.         Not having blinds/curtains to begin with

12.         Noisy new neighbours

13.         Having to lift heavy boxes

14.         Not being able to fit furniture up the stairs

15.         Finding unexpected holes/scratches

16.         Unexpected costs on moving day

17.         Having no idea where anything is in the new home e.g., water, electrics

18.         Endless phone calls

19.         Delicate possessions breaking

20.         Not knowing what is in what box

21.         The previous tenants leaving belongings at the house

22.         Being unable to find the box of ‘basics’ upon moving e.g., the kettle

23.         Parking issues outside the new home

24.         Paying to cancel contracts at a previous home

25.         Scratched walls from deliveries

26.         Unable to work the new heating system

27.         Having to wait for furniture to arrive

28.         Boxes breaking and contents spilling out

29.         Removal vans showing up late

30.         Getting used to new bin days

31.         Using up mobile data allowance due to no internet in the house

32.         Only being notified about moving the day before

33.         Boxes being put in the wrong room / part of the house

34.         Removal people leaving boxes downstairs when they should be upstairs

35.         Finding mice in the home

36.         Creased clothes from being packed

37.         Wearing the same clothes for days before properly unpacking

38.         Not getting used to where light switches are

39.         Unable to work from the new home straight away

40.         Unable to hire a big enough van