An adjustable rate mortgage or variable rate mortgage is a loan secured on a property (house) whose interest rate and so monthly repayment vary over time. Other forms of mortgage loan include interest only mortgage, fixed rate mortgage, Negative amortization mortgage, discounted rate mortgage and balloon payment mortgage. Adjustable rates transfer part of the interest rate risk from the lender to the borrower. They can be used where unpredictable interest rates make fixed rate loans difficult to obtain. The borrower benefits if the interest rate falls and loses out if interest rates rise.

Variable rate mortgages are the most common form of loan for house purchase in the United Kingdom but are unpopular in some other countries. Variable rate mortgages are very common in Australia and New Zealand. For those who plan to move within a relatively short period of time (three to seven years), they are attractive because they often include a lower, fixed rate of interest for the first three, five, or seven years of the loan, after which the interest rate fluctuates.

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