Study also reveals how UK regions compare
Average mortgage broker fees for both home purchases and remortgages have risen to more than £600 over the past 12 months, with most borrowers paying between £500 and £700.
Purchase fees now average £643 and remortgage fees £623, up 28.6% and 24.6% respectively compared with the previous year, when typical fees were £500.
The figures come from Boon Brokers’ survey of 2,000 borrowers who completed a residential purchase or remortgage in the 12 months to February 2026. All respondents had used a fee‑charging broker; fee‑free intermediaries, commercial, buy‑to‑let and product transfer cases were excluded.
Across both purchases and remortgages, £500 was the most common fee, followed by £700 and £600, with fewer than 10% of respondents paying £300 or less. For purchase business, 56% paid between £500 and £700. Among remortgagors, 45% reported paying £700 or more.
Source: Boon Brokers
Brokers are also collecting fees later in the process. For purchases, 46% of respondents paid after the mortgage offer but before completion, and 27% after application submission but before offer. Only 15% paid before the application was lodged. For remortgages, 58% were charged after the offer but before completion, and fewer than 10% before a full application was submitted.
A fixed fee remains the dominant structure, used in 44% of both purchase and remortgage cases. Charging a percentage of the loan (29%) was the next most common approach, followed by a percentage of the property value (around 18–19%). Only 7% reported split fees spread across different transaction stages.
Lack of awareness of fee‑free options was the main reason borrowers did not avoid broker charges. The most popular response in both cohorts was that they were unaware that fee-free mortgage brokers can have the same access to mortgage lenders and products as fee-charging brokers. The second most common was that they did not know that a fee-free, whole-of-market, mortgage broker was an option.
Among purchasers, 12% said they used the fee-charging mortgage broker affiliated with the estate agent, while 15% of remortgagors said their broker was recommended by friends or family. Only 4% of purchasers and 5% of remortgagors believed fee‑charging brokers would provide higher‑quality service.
“This study highlights clear information asymmetry for mortgage borrowers choosing a mortgage broker,” said Gerard Boon (pictured right), managing director at Boon Brokers. “Consumers should be made aware that fee-free mortgage brokers exist and that a broker’s decision to charge a fee is unrelated to their mortgage product access.
“The findings suggest that consumers need more education on mortgage broker operations, their fee structures, and product access. This will enable them to make more informed decisions to suit their circumstances.”
The survey also found notable distribution patterns. Men were more likely than women to pay £1,000 or more, while women were concentrated in the £500–£700 band for purchases and £500–£800 for remortgages.
Younger purchasers (18–34) were clustered at £500; buyers aged 34–54 were more present in the £600–£700 band, and over‑55s more likely to pay £800 or above. For remortgages, 45–54 year‑olds showed stronger representation in the £800 and £1,000‑plus brackets, while 55–64 year‑olds were more often in low‑to‑mid ranges.
Regionally, lower broker fees were more common in northern England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and higher charges in Scotland and the South East. Scotland showed a particularly high proportion of remortgage borrowers paying £1,000 or more, with the South East also heavily represented in the £800 and £1,000‑plus bands.
London displayed higher fee levels across both purchases and remortgages, with strong representation above £800. Belfast, Nottingham and Sheffield showed greater £500 concentration for purchases; Belfast had fewer remortgage borrowers at £1,000‑plus, while Sheffield and Glasgow showed higher proportions in the £800 and £1,000‑plus bands respectively.
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