There is no minimum credit score for a UK mortgage. That sounds surprising, but it follows from something most people do not realise: the score you see on an app is not the score your lender uses. Lenders build their own assessment from the underlying information on your credit file, and every lender weighs it differently.
Key takeaway: Chasing a number is the wrong goal. What matters is what sits on your credit file, how recent it is, and which lender you approach. Two lenders can look at exactly the same file and reach different answers.
[[stats: None = Minimum credit score lenders require | 6 years = How long most credit issues stay on your file | 3 = Main credit reference agencies in the UK]]
Do lenders actually look at your credit score?
Not the one you see. Experian, the largest of the credit reference agencies and the company selling you the score, puts it plainly on its own site: "There isn't a specific credit score you need for a mortgage, and that's because there isn't just one credit score."
What happens instead is that the lender pulls the underlying data on your file, runs it through its own scorecard alongside everything on your application, and reaches its own decision. TransUnion describes the same thing: organisations "will have their own scoring criteria" and calculate a score "based on their perception and interpretation of the information they hold".
This is genuinely good news. It means a middling number in an app does not decide your mortgage, and it explains why a broker can place a case that one bank has already turned down.
What is a good credit score?
Each agency uses its own scale, and they are not comparable with one another.
[[table: Agency | Score range | Top band ;; Experian | 0 to 1250 | Excellent: 1121 to 1250 ;; Equifax | 0 to 1000 | Excellent: 811 to 1000 ;; TransUnion | 0 to 710 | TransUnion does not publish its band thresholds]]
Correct as at August 2026, taken from each agency's own published guidance.
Good to know: Experian changed its scale from 0 to 999 to 0 to 1250, rolling out gradually from autumn 2025, to take account of new data such as rent, overdrafts and mortgage overpayments. Most articles online still quote the old 0 to 999 range and its bands. If your score still shows on the old scale, the rollout simply has not reached your account yet.
You will notice the third row is honest rather than helpful. TransUnion publishes its range but not the cut-offs for each band, and the figures circulating online for those cut-offs do not come from TransUnion. We would rather tell you that than repeat numbers we cannot stand behind.
Why is my credit score different on every site?
Because they are different scores, built by different companies, from different data.
Lenders do not all report to all three agencies. One may report to Experian and Equifax but not TransUnion, so an account visible on one file is missing from another. Each agency then applies its own scoring model to whatever it holds. Different inputs plus different models produce different numbers, and none of them is the one your lender will generate.
The practical takeaway is to stop comparing the numbers and start reading the reports. What you are looking for is the information itself: is everything listed actually yours, is it accurate, and is anything showing that you had forgotten about?
How to check your credit report
You are entitled to see your file at every agency, and you do not need to pay for it.
- Experian - free account and app, directly from Experian
- Equifax - free through ClearScore, which supplies Equifax data
- TransUnion - free through Credit Karma, which is TransUnion-owned
- Crediva - a fourth, smaller UK agency, also free to check
Paid services such as checkmyfile bring all of these together in one report, which is convenient when you are preparing to apply, but be aware these run on a short free trial and then charge monthly. If you use one, set a reminder to cancel.
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How long does information stay on your credit file?
This is usually the question that actually matters, because most people are not asking "what is my score", they are asking "when will this stop counting against me".
[[table: What is recorded | How long lenders can see it ;; Missed or late payments | 6 years ;; Defaults | 6 years from the date of default ;; County Court Judgments | 6 years from the judgment date, or removed entirely if paid in full within one month ;; Bankruptcy | 6 years from the start date, or until the stated end date if that is later ;; Individual Voluntary Arrangement | Usually 6 years from the start date ;; Hard credit searches | Typically 12 months to 2 years, depending on the agency]]
Based on the credit reference agencies' own published retention rules, correct as at August 2026.
Two points worth drawing out. A CCJ paid in full within one month of judgment is removed from your file altogether rather than sitting there for six years, which is a genuinely valuable thing to know at the right moment. And the six-year clock runs from the date of the event, not from when you settled it, so a default from four years ago that you cleared last week still has two years to run.
Preparing your credit file before you apply
If you have time before applying, this is roughly how to use it.
[[steps: Six months out|Pull all three reports and read them properly. Dispute anything inaccurate now, since corrections take time. Get on the electoral roll if you are not already, as it helps confirm your identity. ;; Three months out|Bring balances down where you can. Keep existing accounts open rather than closing them, since a long, well-managed account history helps you. Set up direct debits so nothing is missed by accident. ;; One month out|Stop applying for new credit. Avoid new car finance, credit cards and buy-now-pay-later agreements entirely, as these reduce what a lender will offer and leave fresh searches on your file. ;; The fortnight before|Change nothing. No new accounts, no large unusual transactions, no closing things down. Lenders want to see a settled picture, and this is the period they look at most closely.]]
None of this is about pushing a number up. It is about making sure that when a lender reads your file, there is nothing on it that needs explaining. If a large share of what you owe sits on cards and loans, it is worth understanding what remortgaging to consolidate debt does to your monthly commitments and to how your credit position reads to a lender.
What if you have a low score or something on your file?
A poor score, or a credit event in your past, does not rule out a mortgage. It changes which lenders will consider you and may mean a larger deposit or a higher rate, but the range of what is possible is usually wider than people assume.
Something you consider serious may be viewed as minor by a lender, and occasionally the reverse. Several small defaults from a few years ago, now settled, can sometimes be accepted by a mainstream high street lender rather than a specialist one. Our guide to adverse credit mortgages covers this in detail, and there are dedicated guides on CCJs, defaults and missed payments.
Finding out where you stand, without a mark on your file
The way to test your position is an agreement in principle. It uses a soft credit search, so it leaves no mark that other lenders can see, and it tells you what a real lender would say rather than what an app's number implies.
What you should avoid is making full applications to several lenders in the hope one says yes. Each leaves a hard search, and a cluster of them in a short period is exactly the pattern that makes the next lender cautious. Choosing the right lender first is the whole job.
Frequently asked questions
What credit score do you need for a mortgage?
There is no minimum. Lenders do not use the score you see from a credit reference agency, they generate their own assessment from the underlying information on your file, so no single number qualifies or disqualifies you.
Why is my credit score different on different sites?
Each agency holds slightly different information, because not every lender reports to all three, and each applies its own scoring model to what it holds. The numbers are not comparable with one another.
Does checking your own credit score lower it?
No. Checking your own file is a soft search, visible only to you, and has no effect on your score or on what lenders see.
Does being refused a mortgage affect your credit score?
The refusal itself is not recorded, but the hard search from the application is, and it is visible to other lenders. Several applications in quick succession is the pattern worth avoiding.
How long do defaults stay on your credit file?
Six years from the date of the default, not from the date you settled it. A default cleared recently but registered five years ago has about a year left to run.
Does paying off a CCJ remove it from your credit file?
Only if you pay it in full within one month of the judgment, in which case it is removed entirely. After that it stays for six years from the judgment date, though it will be marked as satisfied once paid.
Can you get a mortgage with a low credit score?
Often yes, though it may mean a larger deposit, a higher rate, or a specialist rather than mainstream lender. What sits behind the score matters far more than the number itself.
How can I improve my credit file before applying for a mortgage?
Register on the electoral roll, make every payment on time, reduce balances where you can, keep long-standing accounts open, and avoid new credit applications in the months before you apply.
How long should I wait after a missed payment before applying?
There is no fixed answer, since lenders weigh recency heavily but differ on how much. Generally the further in the past it sits and the cleaner your record since, the wider your choice of lender.
Do all lenders use the same credit reference agency?
No. Lenders choose which agency or agencies to check, and some check more than one, which is another reason a decline from one lender does not predict a decline from the next.
Will a soft search show on my credit report?
It will be visible to you when you look at your own file, but not to lenders assessing you, so it has no bearing on their decision.
Does having no credit history make it harder to get a mortgage?
It can, since a lender has little to assess. A thin file is a different problem from a poor one, and there are lenders more comfortable with it than others, particularly for those newly arrived in the UK.
Written by Toby Quanstrom CeMAP, Director at Quanstrom Financial, a whole-of-market mortgage broker based in Eastbourne, East Sussex.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
This article is for information only and does not constitute personal advice. Credit reference agency scales and lender criteria change, so please get in touch for guidance based on your own circumstances.
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