Homeowners who need new loans are being forced to pay arrangement fees of up to £5,000.

Research by the comparison website MoneyExpert.com, found that in September 2006 just 22 fixed-rate mortgages involved fees of £750 or more.

Since the credit crunch began to bite, the number has ballooned to 323.

The size of the fees has also shot up. In September 2006, the average was £517. Today it is £860.

One of the biggest is the £2,499 charge made by Abbey, Britain's third-biggest mortgage lender, for its five-year deal at 7.04%.

The bank is also no longer letting people add the fee on to the mortgage if they are borrowing more than 85% of the property's value. The true picture may even be worse. The survey looked only at fixed-rate mortgages and 'stipulated' fees, which is when the bank or building society charges an exact amount.

It did not look at lenders who charge a percentage of the amount borrowed, which can run into thousands of pounds.

Sean Gardner, director of MoneyExpert.com, said: 'Such high application fees will come as something of a shock to many homebuyers. We're just not used to these levels.

'The days of fee-free mortgages are over and frankly getting anything under £1,000 is something of a coup.

'With stamp duty reaching an average of £4,950 per property, moving home is becoming more and more expensive.'