Vohra made the remarks on the latest episode of Twenty7tec‘s ELEVATE Podcast Series, in conversation with host Ellisha Jade. His central argument is that monthly affordability has become the dominant frame for mortgage decisions, while the lifetime cost of debt receives far less attention from lenders, brokers and borrowers alike.

“I think it’s very important that people understand the cost of debt, because it’s not just about meeting the monthly payments,” Vohra said. “You have to be able to do that over the entire lifetime of the mortgage.”

The affordability squeeze has pushed a growing proportion of first-time buyers toward extended mortgage terms of 30 or 40 years. A longer term reduces the monthly payment and brings more borrowers within a lender’s affordability calculation, but it substantially increases the total interest paid and leaves borrowers carrying material debt later into their working lives and, in some cases, into retirement. Research from Yorkshire Building Society cited in the release found that 56% of prospective first-time buyers still consider mortgage acceptance difficult, which suggests the underlying affordability constraint has not eased despite the structural workarounds now in common use.

Compounding this is the pattern of intermittent customer engagement that characterises much of the adviser market. Twenty7tec’s own August 2026 Mortgage Market Snapshot recorded 616,150 remortgage searches, an increase of 11% year on year. That activity reflects borrowers actively reviewing their arrangements, but Vohra argued that two-to-five-year remortgage cycles are not sufficient to provide the ongoing financial support homeowners need.

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