A resource for working out where you actually stand
This site explains how lenders read a CCJ, a default, an IVA or a missed payment, so you can go into a conversation with a broker or lender knowing what's fixed and what's still in your control. It doesn't assess applications or make introductions, and it can't tell you what a lender will decide.
About this resource
This site exists for one reason: to explain how UK lenders actually assess adverse credit, in enough detail that a reader can understand their own situation before they walk into a conversation with a broker or a bank. It is a reference, not a service. There is no application form here, and nothing to sign up for.
Why it was built this way
Most information aimed at people with a CCJ, a default, an IVA or a history of missed payments is either too vague to be useful ("specialist lenders can help") or written for a general audience and never gets specific about what actually changes a lender's decision: the age of the adverse credit, its size, whether it has been satisfied, and how the reader's payment conduct has looked since. This site tries to go one level deeper than that, treating each type of adverse credit on its own terms.
What it does and does not do
- Explains the mechanics. How a lender reads a credit file, what underwriting actually weighs up, and which parts of a situation are fixed (the date of a CCJ) versus which the reader can still affect (current payment conduct).
- Uses hypothetical examples. Where a worked scenario appears, it is clearly labelled as hypothetical and is never attached to a named lender or a specific rate.
- Points outward where it should. If a reader is struggling to meet existing repayments, the right next step is free debt advice from StepChange, National Debtline or Citizens Advice.
- Does not broker, introduce, or promise an outcome. This site is not FCA authorised, does not arrange mortgages, and cannot say whether any individual application will be accepted. That decision sits with the lender, based on their own underwriting criteria.
Who it is for
Readers arrive here having been declined, or expecting to be, because of a CCJ, a default, a debt management plan, an IVA, bankruptcy, missed payments or repossession. Some are first-time buyers, others are remortgaging. What they generally want is not encouragement, it is clarity on what a lender will actually see when they look at the file, and what, if anything, can be done about it before applying. The eligibility tool and the individual guides on CCJs, defaults, DMPs, IVAs and bankruptcy are built around that question, situation by situation.
Where the limits are
The content here is drawn from how the specialist lending market generally operates. Nothing on this site should be read as a guarantee of acceptance, a quote, or financial advice, and the full terms are set out in the disclaimer.
Information, not introduction
This site explains how lenders assess adverse credit. It does not arrange mortgages or introduce readers to lenders.
Situation by situation
CCJs, defaults, DMPs, IVAs, bankruptcy, missed payments and repossession are each treated on their own terms, because they are assessed differently.
No outcome promised
Whether an application succeeds is a decision for the lender. Nothing here suggests otherwise.
What this site does differently
Structured by the type of adverse credit
A CCJ, a default, a debt management plan (DMP), and a bankruptcy each affect a mortgage application in different ways, so each has its own guide covering age, size, and satisfaction status.
Not a broker and not a lender
This site does not introduce readers to lenders or submit applications on anyone's behalf. It explains how lenders assess adverse credit so you understand what an underwriter is actually weighing before you speak to one.
It says when the answer depends on the lender
Some questions do not have one answer that applies to everyone. Where an outcome depends on a lender's own underwriting rather than a fixed rule, that is stated plainly instead of smoothed over with reassurance.
Hypothetical examples, clearly labelled
Worked examples are used to make abstract rules concrete, such as how a three-year-old CCJ for a small amount might be viewed differently to a recent one for a larger sum. Every example is marked as hypothetical and is not a quote from any lender.
A starting point before you speak to anyone
The eligibility tool works through your situation as a series of questions, though it cannot tell you whether a lender will approve an application. That decision sits with the lender, not with this site.
Start with the situation you actually have
This site is built around the specific facts of your credit file. Working through the eligibility tool or the guide that matches your circumstances will tell you more than reading straight through.