Published 6 January 2014 · Last reviewed 1 May 2026

I have a bad credit report but still want to get a mortgage can you help?

There are various degrees of bad credit in the lenders eyes when applying for mortgage. Ranging from a few missed payments on unsecured debt to defaults, CCJs, IVAs, bankruptcy and repossessions. Some lenders will not lend to anyone who appear on this spectrum others take a more generous approach.

Most Lenders will also look holistically at the conduct of person(s) whom you share a financial commitment with, even if the actual commitment is in itself well conducted.  For instance: being turned down for a mortgage could be because your partner missed a payment on their mobile phone six months ago. However, don’t despair there any lenders who take a more pragmatic approach.

If you think you or your partner may have had a credit problem, big or small, the best place to start is with obtaining a credit report. I urge you not to race ahead and find a property as this may lead to heart break.

The good news is you can normally obtain a report for free. From my experience Equifax or Experian are the best two credit agencies as they display the information in a readable way and the data is current.

To get a free copy of your credit report click on the various banners on our page.

Evaluating a report is really important because you need to understand how this can affect your ambitions of getting a mortgage.

How do I know which credit issues will affect my mortgage chances?

There are no ‘hard and fast’ rules as each lender operates its underwriting of mortgages on different terms. The High Street Lenders are normally fussier than centralised lenders. Some lenders will ignore defaults registered over two years old but may want you to have cleared them in the last six months some will not care and will see the outstanding balance as a commitment. Some lenders will ignore CCJs provided they have been registered over 12 months and others want them to be satisfied or to have not occurred at all. Normally one missed secured loan/mortgage payment is acceptable and some lenders will allow up to three missed.

In the case of more extreme difficulties such as IVAs and bankruptcies I suggest you read my article {INSERT LINK getting a mortgage after bankruptcy}

The Year Ahead

I have been encouraged in the last 12 months as there have been new lenders entering the impaired credit market and the existing lenders have generally relaxed their terms. 2014 promises to see an extrapolation of this trend in relation to mortgages with bad credit and adverse credit in general.

The Centralised Lenders in particular are taking an adult approach to credit problems incurred between 2008 and 2011 in the height of the economic downturn as this was an unprecedented period.  So we have a wide range of products that can cater for missed payments, defaults and CCJs that occurred in this period. So whether you’re a first time buyer looking to purchase your first home or a next time buyer looking to upgrade or downgrade your property and have bad credit showing on your credit report we are here to help. Likewise, if you want to consolidate or pay off debts that occurred back then then give us a try.

When it comes to getting advice for mortgages with bad credit expertise and those that deal with this type of mortgage day in day out will understand the lender’s criteria / underwriter’s views and can call on the wealth of experience they have gained by dealing with this type of business throughout the years. When you choose Niche Advice you choose a brokerage that is known and recognised as a leading provider of mortgages with bad credit for many of the lenders. We have relationships already in place with key decision makers which enable us to help our clients at every stage of the application.

Better yet we do not charge upfront fees for our mortgage advice, you only pay us when you have completed the purchase or remortgaging your property. In the majority of the cases I will personally handle the application process so you can rest assured that you are getting the best possible advice.

I hope you have found this article useful and if so please help us by sharing the information found on this site with your friends and family.

For more information on getting a mortgage with bad credit please

Payam Azadi is a partner at Niche Advice Ltd who are Independent Financial and Mortgage Advisers in London.