Bad credit mortgages
A CCJ, default, missed payment, debt management plan, IVA or past bankruptcy doesn't automatically rule you out of a mortgage. What matters is the type of issue, how long ago it happened, whether it's settled and your deposit, so choosing the right lender makes all the difference.
Written by Toby Quanstrom, Director, Quanstrom Financial · 4 November 2026
Recent case: a mortgage offer with Metro Bank for a buyer whose IVA had been satisfied three years earlier. Every case is different.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
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The short answer
Yes, it may be possible. Very few credit problems rule you out completely. Lenders look at the type of issue, how big it was, how long ago it happened, whether it's been settled and how you've managed credit since. A bigger deposit can widen your options too.
Lenders take very different views of the same credit history. Some mainstream lenders may accept small, older, settled issues, while specialist lenders are set up to look at the fuller picture. Applying to the wrong lender first can mean a decline and another hard search on your file, so it pays to match your history to the right lender from the start.
Your credit issue
Each credit issue is treated differently by lenders. Choose yours to see how real lenders assess it.
Not sure what's on your file? Read our credit score guideSatisfied or not, its size and age can change which lenders may help.
Read the guideCredit historyCan you get a mortgage with a default?Some lenders ignore small utility or phone defaults altogether.
Read the guideCredit historyMortgages with missed or late paymentsA late card payment is treated very differently from mortgage arrears.
Read the guideSome specialists may consider an active plan with a good payment record.
Options usually open up once it's satisfied, and widen with time.
How long since discharge is usually the biggest factor.
What lenders look at
Lenders don't just ask whether you have bad credit. They look at the detail, and the detail is often better than people expect.
A £150 phone default is very different from a mortgage default or a large CCJ. Some lenders ignore small amounts entirely, particularly with utility and phone providers.
The older the issue, the less weight it carries. Many specialist lenders focus on the last one to three years, while many mainstream lenders look back over six.
A settled CCJ or default is a historic problem. An outstanding one is a live debt, and this is often the single biggest factor.
A larger deposit offsets the risk and can open up more lenders. A clean record since the event is one of the strongest signals you can show.
What you may be able to borrow depends on your circumstances and lender criteria.
Lender comparison
The same credit history can be a decline at one lender and an acceptance at another. Here's how a mainstream lender, Accord Mortgages, compares with specialist lenders on each type of credit issue.
| Credit issue | Accord Mortgages (mainstream) | Specialist lender example | What matters most |
|---|---|---|---|
| CCJs | No more than 1 CCJ, totalling £300 or less, registered in the last 6 years | Pepper Money: none in the last 6 months for up to 80% loan to value, rising to 90% with none in the last 36 months | Whether it's satisfied, its size and how recent it is |
| Defaults | No more than 2 defaults, totalling £250 or less, registered in the last 6 years | Pepper Money: none in the last 6 months for up to 80% loan to value, with up to 2 utility or phone defaults of £200 or less ignored on several products | Its size, the type of provider and whether it's settled |
| Missed payments | Secured: no more than 1 missed payment on 1 account in the last 24 months. Unsecured: no more than 2 on 1 account | Vida Homeloans: up to 3 unsecured missed payments in the last 6 months on its Vida 6 tier | Secured or unsecured, how many and how recent |
| Debt management plans | None registered in the last 6 years | Bluestone Mortgages: an active plan may be considered, with no minimum time running stated | Active or settled, and your payment record within it |
| IVAs | Satisfied for a minimum of 6 years | Melton Building Society: an active IVA may be considered on its Credit Recovery range if it's being conducted satisfactorily | Whether it's active, and how long since it was satisfied |
| Bankruptcy | Discharged for a minimum of 6 years | Buckinghamshire Building Society: discharged for 3 years or more for up to 85% loan to value, or less than 3 years at underwriter discretion up to 75% | Whether you're discharged, and how long ago |
From each lender's published intermediary criteria: Accord and Pepper Money checked November 2026, the others August 2026. Criteria change often, other lenders take different views, and lending depends on your circumstances.
Compare more lenders in our guides to mortgages with a CCJ and mortgages with an IVA.
Time and your options
Yes, a great deal. As a general pattern, the more time that has passed since an issue was registered or settled, the more lenders may consider you, and the closer your options get to standard terms.
Fewer lenders, mostly specialists, and a larger deposit is often needed. Even so, some specialists may consider CCJs and defaults from as little as six months ago.
A wider range of lenders becomes realistic, including some mainstream lenders for small, settled issues. After six years, most issues drop off your credit file altogether.
General patterns only, not an offer of credit. Every lender sets its own time periods, and lending depends on your circumstances.
Recent cases
A credit history that feels serious to you can look quite different to the right lender. Two recent examples:
Chris wanted to buy his first home for £380,000 with a 10% deposit. He had four small defaults totalling £840, settled three years earlier. Because they were small and fully repaid, Quanstrom Financial secured him a mortgage offer with NatWest.
Eastbourne · first-time buyer
Angela was buying for £375,000 with a 15% deposit. She had £9,000 of defaults registered two years earlier and paid off four months before, plus seven missed card payments in the last year. Most of the defaults were with utility providers, which some lenders disregard, and we secured her a mortgage offer with Bluestone.
Brighton · home purchase
Names changed. Every case is different, and lending depends on your circumstances and lender criteria.
Your advisers
You'll deal with the same small team from your first call through to completion.
Director and Mortgage Adviser
Over a decade in mortgages and protection, from high-street banks to a corporate brokerage, before setting up Quanstrom Financial. He knows which lenders take a fair view of a difficult credit history.
Speak to Toby →
Mortgage and Protection Adviser
Will spent over a decade as an estate agent in Eastbourne before becoming a mortgage adviser, so he understands the buying process from both sides.
Speak to Will →
Case Manager
Known to clients as Jessie, she manages every application from submission to completion, keeping you, your solicitor and your estate agent up to date.
Why Quanstrom Financial
One of the many things that sets him apart is immediately understanding the key elements of my situation and applying his expertise to find a rapid solution.
Dan C., about TobyHow it works
Five steps from your first call to completion. Quanstrom Financial handles the paperwork along the way.
Tell us what's on your credit file, when it happened and whether it's settled. We'll explain which types of lender may consider it.
Get your reports from Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, so we work from what lenders will actually see rather than memory.
We compare 90+ lenders, including specialists that only work through brokers, and recommend a mortgage that suits your history, explaining why.
Jessie submits your application and keeps it moving with the lender until your mortgage offer is issued.
Your solicitor completes the legal work, and you move in or your new deal starts.
Local and nationwide
Quanstrom Financial is based in Eastbourne and helps clients with CCJs, defaults, missed payments, DMPs, IVAs and past bankruptcy across East and West Sussex, Kent and the rest of the UK, by phone and video, or in person by arrangement.
Can't see your question? Call us on 01323 364432 or book a free consultation.
Yes, it may be possible. Very few credit problems rule you out completely. Lenders look at the type of issue, its size, how long ago it happened, whether it's settled and your deposit. Specialist lenders are set up for more recent or serious issues, and some mainstream lenders may accept small, older ones.
Mainstream lenders such as Accord may accept small, older and settled issues within set limits. Specialist lenders such as Pepper Money, Bluestone Mortgages and Vida Homeloans are set up to consider more recent or more serious credit problems. Many specialist lenders only accept applications through brokers.
It depends on how serious and how recent the issue is. Pepper Money, for example, may lend up to 90% of the property value where there have been no CCJs or defaults in the last 36 months, and up to 80% where there have been none in the last 6 months. More serious issues usually need a larger deposit.
Most credit issues stay on your credit file for six years. Many mainstream lenders look at the full six years, while specialist lenders often focus on the last one to three years. Accord, for example, looks at CCJs and defaults registered in the last six years.
Often, yes. If you switch to a new deal with your existing lender, a product switch, there are usually no credit or income checks. Moving to a new lender, or borrowing more, is a full application where your credit history is assessed in the same way as a purchase.
Often, but not always. Small, older and settled issues may be accepted on a mainstream lender's usual products. Specialist lenders usually charge more, but rates tend to improve as the issue ages and your deposit grows, and many people move to a mainstream lender when they remortgage later.
No. Our first conversation doesn't involve a credit search. Lenders search your file when you apply, so we aim to match you to the right lender before any application, rather than collecting declines and hard searches along the way.
Fees vary depending on your circumstances. Get in touch and we'll explain any costs clearly before you proceed. Your first consultation is free and there's no obligation.
Tell us what's on your file and when it happened. We'll explain which lenders may consider you, with no judgement and no obligation. Your first consultation is free.
or call 01323 364432
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
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