Which UK Lenders Lend With a Thin Credit File?
Thin credit files are common for new-to-UK applicants, recent graduates, and people who've always paid in cash. Most lenders have a credit-scoring policy that allows for thin files; specialists look at the full picture.
Data refreshed 2026-07-15. Information only — not advice.
Your situation
High Street Lenders
- AIB— Up to 95% LTV
- Bank of Ireland— Up to 95% LTV
- Barclays— Up to 95% LTV
- Halifax— Up to 95% LTV
- HSBC— Up to 95% LTV
- Metro Bank— Up to 95% LTV
- Nationwide— Up to 95% LTV
- NatWest— Up to 95% LTV
- Santander— Up to 95% LTV
- The Co-operative Bank— Up to 95% LTV
- TSB— Up to 95% LTV
Building Societies
- Accord Mortgages— Up to 95% LTV (its 99% £5k Deposit product is first-time-buyer only and excludes new builds)
- Buckinghamshire Building Society— Up to 90% LTV
- Cambridge Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Coventry Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Cumberland Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Darlington Building Society— Up to 95% LTV (80% for London/M25 remortgage)
- Dudley Building Society— Up to 90% LTV
- Earl Shilton Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Family Building Society— Up to 80% LTV
- Hanley Economic Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Leeds Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Mansfield Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Newcastle Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Nottingham Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Saffron Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
- Skipton Building Society— Up to 95% LTV (its 100% Track Record product is clean-credit only)
- West Bromwich Building Society— Up to 95% LTV
Specialist Lenders
- Aldermore— Up to 95% LTV
- Atom Bank— Up to 95% LTV
- CHL Mortgages— Up to 75% LTV
- Fleet Mortgages— Up to 75% LTV
- Generation Home— Up to 95% LTV
- Hodge Bank— Up to 95% LTV
- Legal & General Home Finance— Up to 60% LTV
- LendInvest— Up to 90% LTV
- Norton Home Loans— Up to 80% LTV
- Pepper Money— Up to 85% LTV (75% above £750k)
- Perenna— Up to 95% LTV
- Precise Mortgages— Up to 95% LTV
- Tandem Bank— Up to 90% LTV
- The Mortgage Lender— Up to 95% LTV
- West One Loans— Up to 97.5% LTV
- Zephyr Homeloans— Up to 80% LTV
Why some lenders say no
- Many high-street lenders rely on automated credit scoring that fails thin files regardless of income.
- Manual-underwriting lenders (BS, specialists) look at the whole case rather than a score.
- Building a file with 3-6 months of credit card + utility-bill activity fixes most cases.
Related reading: Credit report for a mortgage — full guide · Foreign nationals mortgage guide
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Run My Affordability CheckFrequently asked questions
What counts as a 'thin' credit file?
No recent unsecured credit activity, fewer than 2-3 open accounts, or no credit activity at all for 12+ months. The Experian / Equifax / TransUnion score will usually be low or unknown.
How do I thicken my credit file quickly?
Get on the electoral roll, take out a mobile contract or credit-builder card, pay bills on direct debit, avoid applying for multiple products at once. 3-6 months of activity makes a measurable difference.
Do building societies look at thin files differently?
Yes. Most BSs underwrite manually and will consider job stability, income consistency, and savings history alongside (or instead of) the automated score.
Can my partner's credit offset my thin file?
In a joint application, yes — the better-credit partner's file can carry most of the decision. Some lenders credit-score both; others score the primary applicant only.
