A bad credit record doesn’t mean no mortgage.
Missed payments, defaults, CCJs, IVAs, and even discharged bankruptcy need not stop you buying a home. We work with specialist lenders who use human underwriting — people who read your file and understand your story, not algorithms that reject you at the first missed payment.
Adverse credit situations we deal with every day
Every client’s history is different. Here are the most common situations we advise on across London and Essex.
A missed payment or default from two or three years ago — on a mobile phone, credit card, or loan — is one of the most common reasons clients come to us after being rejected by a high street bank. A single old satisfied default will typically not stop you getting a mortgage at all.
A CCJ appears on your credit file for six years. Mainstream lenders will typically decline automatically. But specialist lenders assess CCJs on their age, the amount, and whether they have been satisfied. A satisfied CCJ over 24 months old is treated very differently from a recent large unsatisfied one.
An IVA does not make homeownership impossible. Some lenders will consider applications while an IVA is still active, provided you have a good payment record within the arrangement. Once completed and marked as satisfied, options improve significantly.
Bankruptcy is discharged after 12 months in most UK cases. From the point of discharge, specialist lenders will consider mortgage applications. We have helped clients in Barking, Dagenham, and Romford secure mortgages within 2–3 years of discharge.
Human underwriting makes all the difference
High street banks run credit applications through automated systems. Specialist adverse credit lenders use human underwriters who read your file, understand the context behind the adverse, and make a considered decision.
- Older adverse credit carries far less weight than recent issues
- Satisfied defaults and CCJs open significantly more doors than unsatisfied ones
- A larger deposit compensates for more severe adverse in many cases
- A covering letter explaining the circumstances can make the difference
- Time since the adverse event matters enormously to specialist lenders
- We never run a credit check without your explicit permission
| Adverse Type | Typical Waiting Period | Min Deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Missed payments | Often immediate | 10–15% |
| Satisfied defaults | Often immediate | 15%+ |
| Unsatisfied defaults | Often manageable | 25%+ |
| Satisfied CCJ | 24+ months preferred | 25%+ |
| Active IVA | Case by case | 25%+ |
| Discharged bankruptcy | 12+ months post-discharge | 25%+ |
Adverse credit mortgages — the reality
What we typically see when placing adverse credit cases.
How we get an adverse credit mortgage approved for you
We review your credit history before any lender sees it
Before we approach a single lender, we conduct a thorough review of your credit history — understanding every piece of adverse credit, its age, its status, and what it means for your options.
We obtain and analyse your full credit report together
We work through your full credit report with you — explaining what each entry means, which lenders will and will not accept it, and what you can do to improve your position.
We identify the right lender — not just any lender that will say yes
Our job is to find the lender who offers the most competitive rate your credit profile can genuinely support, not just the first one that will say yes.
We write a covering letter explaining the circumstances behind the adverse
Many specialist lenders accept a covering letter explaining the context. A redundancy, a relationship breakdown, a medical issue — these are circumstances that underwriters understand. We write this letter for every adverse case we submit.
We manage the case to completion and plan your remortgage route
Once your mortgage completes, we plan your route to a better rate when your adverse credit ages off your file. The goal is always to get you onto a mainstream lender as quickly as your credit history allows.
Adverse credit mortgage questions answered honestly
A full mortgage application involves a hard credit search which will appear on your credit file. However, we review your credit history thoroughly before approaching any lender, so we only submit a formal application when we are confident it will be approved. We never run a hard credit search without your explicit permission.
Most adverse credit entries remain on your credit file for six years from the date they were registered. After six years, these entries drop off your file automatically and your access to mainstream lenders improves significantly.
The required deposit depends on the nature and severity of the adverse credit. Minor issues may only require 10–15%. More serious issues typically require 25–30% or more. A larger deposit compensates for more severe adverse in most cases.
Initially, yes — adverse credit mortgages are priced to reflect the additional risk. However, as the adverse credit ages, as your credit behaviour improves, and as you build equity, your options improve. Most of our adverse credit clients remortgage to a better rate within 2–3 years.
Don’t let past credit issues stop your future
Free, confidential assessment. No credit check until you say so. We review your history honestly and tell you exactly what is possible — and when.
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Free, confidential assessment. No credit check until you say so. We tell you honestly what is possible and when.
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