It’s been a while since I have written about bad credit, but we seem to have had so many calls recently about this subject that I thought it was something I should address:
More and more lenders are agreeing to cases where customers have had blips on their credit profile. The main questions are, How big was the blip? How many blips do you have? and How long ago was the blip?!
Customers running into trouble with a mobile phone provider can often find themselves blacklisted and therefore unable to get a mortgage. Sensibly a lot of the High Street lenders now ignore one off blips with communications companies so they can get on with processing your mortgage while you let loose at your phone provider!
If the blip is more significant than one missed payment with Vodafone, you are unlikely to pass a credit score with a high street lender. A credit score is the lender’s (secret) internal score card for each applicant and defaults on loans and county court judgements will bring this score below the minimum level to qualify. Thankfully, some lenders have no such thing as a credit score, instead each application is given the once over by an underwriter, rather than a computer, to see if it’s a sensible risk for the lender to take on.
No providers are interested in serial offenders, but they will look favourably on “one off events” wherever plausible.
This means that clients with (on paper) terrible credit, can in some cases now get a mortgage. We have a client Mr X who went through a terrible divorce which resulted in 3 CCJs, some mortgage arrears and a default 2 years ago. Prior to this event he had impeccable credit and once the divorce was settled, there were no further problems. This client got an 85% poor credit mortgage at a reasonable rate.
Then take the case of Mrs Y who gave up work to become a full time Carer for her mother for 5 years. The credit register is littered with defaults and late payments for this period and clearly reflects the struggle the family had with money. Despite the amount of adverse credit, when she returned to work, we managed to secure a mortgage which also paid off a couple of credit cards which were spiralling out of control.
The moral of this story, is to keep your credit clean where possible, but if you do his a blip –all is not lost!
To speak to a mortgage adviser, contact us on 01628 507477.
Related articles:
Recent posts
Best UK Mortgage Rates this Week
2 days ago
Here are the lowest fixed mortgage rates of the week, available to first-time buyers, home movers, buy-to-let, and those remortgaging.
Call us for more information: 01628 507477 or email: team@mortgagerequired.com.
Research from Lloyds identifies the most affordable areas in the UK for first-time buyers to be able to get onto the property ladder.
On Wednesday, 13th May, King Charles delivered his speech at the House of Lords, outlining the government’s plans for the upcoming year.
Here is a summary of the housing and energy/environment points.
From 18th May 2026, Halifax (part of Lloyds Banking Group) is launching a ‘£5k Deposit mortgage’ to help first-time buyers get onto the property ladder sooner.
Homeowners could be faced with paying over £3,000 more per year on their mortgage if the conflict in the Middle East continues, following new analysis from INTEREST from Moneyfacts.
Renters' Rights Act
25 days ago
The Renter’s Rights Bill became law at the end of October, which means it has been signed off by the King, and it is now the Renters’ Rights Act. Despite this becoming law, these changes are likely to start changing within the next six months, with the aim of being fully implemented throughout 2026 and into 2027.
Green Mortgages | Rewards and Benefits
25 days ago
Mortgage lenders are starting to recognise their “Green” responsibilities when it comes to the different products they offer.
Costliest Streets in Great Britain
24 Apr 2026
Recent data from Rightmove shows the most expensive streets in Great Britain, with the majority being situated in the capital.
More information
Trusted by
