Quick answer
With a satisfied CCJ under a year old, at least 6 of the 51 lenders we track will lend at 95% LTV — a 5% deposit — rising to 20once it's three years old. Deposit size opens up more lenders at every event type, but the age of the event usually moves the number further than deposit alone.
Why deposit size matters more with bad credit
Every lender balances two separate questions: will it accept your credit history at all, and how much risk is it taking on the loan itself? Deposit size only answers the second question, but it still matters a great deal, because a lower loan-to-value (LTV) gives the lender a bigger buffer if things go wrong.
For a satisfied default 1-2 years old, our data shows 7 lenders open at a 5% deposit, climbing to 11 at a 25% deposit — the same event, the same age, just a bigger buffer. For a day-one unsatisfied CCJ the effect is similar in shape: 3 lenders at 5% deposit versus 6 at 25%.
Time vs deposit — which helps more?
Both help, but they don't help equally. Taking a satisfied CCJ as the example: holding the event's age at day one and moving your deposit from 5% to 25% takes you from 6 to 10 lenders — a gain of 4. Holding the deposit fixed at 5% and instead waiting until the CCJ is three years old takes you from 6 to 20 lenders — a gain of 14. Time since the event is usually the bigger lever, though the two combine: the most choice comes from a larger deposit and an older event.
The 5% deposit myth with bad credit
It's a myth that a 5% deposit is off the table with adverse credit — it isn't, for most event types. It's also a myth that it's easy: the pool of lenders willing to go to 95% LTV alongside a recent credit event is genuinely small. At day one, 95% LTV, our data shows 1 lender(s) for very recent missed payments, 3 for an unsatisfied CCJ, but 17 for a discharged bankruptcy and 17 for a satisfied DMP — the pool size depends heavily on which event you have, not just the deposit.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a mortgage with a 5% deposit and bad credit?
It's possible but the lender pool is small. At a 5% deposit (95% LTV), our data shows at least 6 lenders open to a day-one satisfied CCJ, 3 for an unsatisfied default, and just 1 for very recent missed payments, out of the 51 residential lenders we track. A 10% or 15% deposit opens up meaningfully more choice.
How much deposit do I need for a mortgage with a CCJ?
It depends on whether it's satisfied and how old it is. A satisfied CCJ under a year old can work with a 5% deposit at a small number of lenders, or a 10-15% deposit at more of them. An unsatisfied CCJ needs a bigger deposit to reach the same number of lenders — our calculator above shows the exact split for your situation.
Does a bigger deposit offset bad credit?
To an extent. Moving from a 5% to a 15% or 25% deposit steadily increases the number of lenders willing to consider you, because it reduces the lender's risk on the loan itself. But it doesn't offset everything — very recent or unsatisfied events still shut out most of the market regardless of deposit, because those lenders decline on the event, not the LTV.
Do specialist lenders need bigger deposits?
Not necessarily — some specialist adverse-credit lenders will still lend at 90-95% LTV for older, satisfied events. But the specialists that accept the most recent or most serious adverse (bankruptcy, active DMPs, unsatisfied defaults) more often cap their maximum LTV lower, effectively requiring a bigger deposit in exchange for accepting the event at all.
Does the age of my default change the deposit I need?
Yes, more than almost anything else. Our data shows the number of lenders open to you at the same 95% LTV roughly triples between a day-one satisfied default and one that's three years old (6 rising to 20 of 51 lenders). Time since the event usually does more for your options than saving for a bigger deposit.
Figures are floors, not guarantees. “At least” this many, of the 51 residential lenders in our dataset with both published adverse-credit criteria and a maximum LTV on file (verified June 2026). Many lenders also cap the amount or number of events they'll accept — for example, several counted CCJ- and default-friendly lenders only go up to around £500 per event. This page is information only, not financial advice, and we don't name individual lenders here — your actual options depend on income, deposit source and your full credit file.
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Last updated: July 2026
