Credit
UK Mortgages With Adverse Credit or a Thin File
High-street lenders auto-decline on many credit events that specialist lenders would still consider case-by-case. Which lenders you apply to matters a lot — the wrong hard-search wastes a month and clouds your file.
Credit questions
CCJ in the last 3 years
Many lenders auto-decline recent CCJs. See the specialists that still consider.
Read the answerSatisfied default on the file
Most lenders will consider once defaults are paid off — age matters.
Read the answerDebt Management Plan (DMP)
Active DMPs are restrictive; satisfied ones open up the pool.
Read the answerThin credit file / new to UK
Manual-underwriting lenders look beyond automated credit scores.
Read the answerWhat lenders look at
Adverse credit criteria split along four main axes:
- Event type — CCJ, default, DMP, IVA, bankruptcy, missed payments. Each has a separate policy with its own age and count rules.
- Time since the event — most lenders use an age-months threshold. High street typically wants 36-72 months clean; specialists accept from 12 months.
- Satisfaction status — satisfied (paid) is nearly always better than unsatisfied. Many lenders insist on satisfaction before even considering.
- Count and value — one small default is usually ignored; multiple or large events narrow the pool to specialists.
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