Find Out How Much You Can Borrow With Bad Credit
Check 60+ UK lenders including specialist adverse credit lenders. See which can help with your specific situation — no credit search performed.
Start Your CheckCan I get a mortgage with bad credit?
Yes — getting a mortgage with bad credit is possible, but the lender you apply to matters more than anything else. UK lenders fall on a spectrum: the high-street banks (Halifax, Nationwide, Santander, HSBC) tend to decline anyone with recent CCJs, defaults, missed payments, or a discharged bankruptcy in the last few years. Specialist adverse credit lenders — Kensington Mortgages, Pepper Money, Bluestone Mortgages, Precise Mortgages, Together, Vida and Aldermore — are built specifically to lend to applicants the high street rejects, and they consider your full circumstances rather than running a hard credit-score filter.
Whether you'll be accepted depends on five things: how recent the credit issue is, the value of the issue (e.g. £500 CCJ vs £5,000 CCJ), whether it's satisfied, the size of your deposit, and your overall affordability. A satisfied CCJ from three years ago with a 15% deposit is a very different application to an unsatisfied default from six months ago with a 5% deposit — and our calculator filters lenders against your actual situation rather than treating "bad credit" as a single binary flag.
The single biggest mistake adverse credit applicants make is applying directly to a high-street lender, getting declined, and assuming they can't get a mortgage. Each declined application leaves a hard search on your credit file, which makes the next application harder. A specialist lender, often via a broker, gives you a materially better chance — and our calculator shows you which lenders to focus on before you apply anywhere.
How much can I borrow with bad credit?
Most adverse credit lenders apply the same income multiples as mainstream lenders — typically 4 to 4.5 times annual income, and up to 5x for higher earners. The difference is usually which lenders will consider you, not how much they'll lend once they accept the application.
That said, two things can reduce the maximum a specialist lender will offer: tighter LTV caps (many specialist lenders cap at 75–85% LTV for adverse credit applicants, requiring a 15–25% deposit), and slightly higher stress rates that cut affordability by a few thousand pounds. Real-world examples from our data:
- Satisfied CCJ over 3 years old, £40k income, 15% deposit: most specialist lenders and several mainstream lenders consider it. Typical max borrowing £160,000–£180,000.
- Recent default (under 12 months), £40k income, 10% deposit: 3–6 specialist lenders only. Typical max borrowing £140,000–£160,000.
- Discharged bankruptcy under 3 years old, £50k income, 25% deposit: a small specialist pool (Pepper, Bluestone, Vida). Typical max borrowing £180,000–£220,000.
- Active DMP, £35k income, 15% deposit: 4–5 specialists only (Pepper, Together, Vida). Typical max borrowing £120,000–£140,000.
These are illustrative — the calculator runs your actual figures against each lender's real-world rules and gives you a per-lender maximum so you can see the spread.
Which UK lenders accept bad credit?
Adverse credit lenders fall into two groups: specialist (built for adverse credit) and mainstream lenders that flex their criteria for older or lower-value events.
Specialist adverse credit lenders:
- Kensington Mortgages — flexible on CCJs, defaults and discharged bankruptcy.
- Pepper Money — tiered products that scale with the severity and age of credit events; ignores unsecured arrears in some cases.
- Bluestone Mortgages — strong on recent defaults and short-discharge bankruptcy cases.
- Precise Mortgages — broad adverse appetite; popular with brokers for medium-severity cases.
- Together — accepts active DMPs and very recent adverse where most decline.
- Vida Homeloans — competitive on CCJs and defaults across most LTV bands.
- Aldermore — accepts older satisfied adverse with mainstream-like rates.
- The Mortgage Lender (TML) — tiered products for varying credit profiles.
Mainstream lenders that flex on older adverse:
- Halifax — considers older satisfied CCJs / defaults under £500.
- Nationwide — flexes on missed payments more than 12 months old in some cases.
- Skipton — reviews older satisfied adverse case-by-case.
- Coventry BS, Leeds BS — consider older minor adverse on referral.
How recent does the credit issue need to be?
Recency is the single biggest driver of which lenders will accept you. Almost every lender uses the date of the event (registration date for a CCJ or default, discharge date for bankruptcy, completion date for an IVA) as the clock — not the date the issue was satisfied or fell off your credit file.
- 0–6 months old: 3–6 specialist lenders only. Expect tighter LTV caps and higher rates.
- 6–12 months old: 8–12 specialist lenders. A few mainstream options open up for very minor events.
- 1–2 years old: 15+ specialist and mid-tier lenders. Wider product range.
- 2–3 years old: Most specialist lenders plus several mainstream lenders consider the application.
- 3+ years old, satisfied: Often treated like clean credit by most lenders, especially if values are under £500.
- 6+ years old: No longer on the credit file. Treated as clean credit by virtually every lender.
For bankruptcy specifically, most lenders work to a 3-year minimum after discharge for any consideration, with 6 years post-discharge the threshold for a full mainstream offering. Specialists may consider applications from one year post-discharge with substantial deposits.
Explore by Credit Issue
Every credit issue is treated differently by lenders. Read our detailed guides to see which lenders accept your specific situation.
CCJs
Which lenders accept County Court Judgements and under what conditions.
Defaults
Satisfied and unsatisfied defaults — see real lender criteria.
Missed Payments
Mortgage arrears and missed unsecured payments — what lenders allow.
Bankruptcy
How long after discharge you can apply, and which lenders help.
IVA / DRO
Getting a mortgage after an Individual Voluntary Arrangement.
DMP
Active or completed Debt Management Plans — your options.
How It Works
Enter your details
Income, employment, deposit, and outgoings — just like a normal affordability check.
Tell us about your credit history
We ask simple questions about CCJs, defaults, missed payments, and other adverse credit.
See which lenders can help
We filter out lenders whose criteria don't match, then check your affordability with the rest.
Why Use Our Calculator?
We do the hard work so you don't have to — checking every lender's criteria against your situation in minutes.
No credit search
Your credit score is not affected. We use lender calculators, not credit reports.
60+ lenders checked
Including specialist adverse credit lenders like Kensington, Pepper, Bluestone, and Precise.
Results in minutes
We check every lender simultaneously and show you results as they come in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a mortgage with a CCJ?
Yes. Several specialist lenders accept CCJs, especially if they are satisfied and over 12 months old. The amount, age, and whether it is satisfied all affect which lenders will consider your application. Our calculator checks which of 60+ lenders would accept your specific credit profile.
How long do defaults stay on my credit file?
Defaults remain on your credit file for 6 years from the date they were registered, regardless of when they are satisfied. However, many lenders become more flexible after 12-24 months, and the impact reduces significantly after 3 years.
Can I get a mortgage after bankruptcy?
Yes, but options are limited in the first 3 years after discharge. Specialist lenders may consider applications from day one of discharge, with more mainstream options opening up after 3-6 years. A larger deposit (15-25%) significantly improves your chances.
Do missed payments affect mortgage affordability?
Yes. Most mainstream lenders require a clean payment history for 12-24 months. Missed mortgage payments are viewed more seriously than missed unsecured payments. Specialist lenders are more flexible, particularly if the missed payments are over 12 months old.
Can I get a mortgage after an IVA or DMP?
Yes. IVAs typically need to have been completed for 3+ years for mainstream lenders, with specialist lenders considering during or shortly after. Active DMPs are accepted by a smaller set of specialist lenders. Completed DMPs are treated similarly to historic defaults.
Will checking my affordability here affect my credit score?
No. Our calculator does not perform any credit searches. We check lender criteria and affordability calculations only — your credit file is not accessed or affected in any way.
Information only — not mortgage advice. We are not FCA authorised. Being shown a lender does not mean you will be accepted. Always speak to a qualified, FCA-authorised mortgage adviser before applying.
First step: see your credit file
Know exactly what lenders will see — before you apply
UK lenders check up to three agencies (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion). A multi-agency report gives you the same view they see — useful for spotting any CCJs, defaults, or missed payments still on file, correcting errors, and entering accurate details into our calculator.
Check My Credit File (30-day free trial) →
Affiliate link — we may earn a small commission if you sign up, at no cost to you. CheckMyFile is the only UK service combining all three major agencies in one report.
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