Missed Mortgage Payments. Declined Twice. Then Approved.
How a self-employed couple in Bristol moved home despite a history of missed mortgage payments on their previous property.
The Situation
David and Michelle from Bristol wanted to upsize from their 2-bed terrace to a 4-bed family home as their family grew. The problem: during a difficult period in 2022-2023 when David's building company struggled post-pandemic, they had missed 4 mortgage payments on their current home. All were now repaid and their mortgage was fully up to date. Santander, their current lender, declined to port their mortgage to the new property. A broker they used declined to proceed, saying no lender would touch them. They came to Darryl having almost given up on moving.
The Challenge
Missed mortgage payments — as opposed to other credit defaults — are treated with particular severity by lenders. Missing payments on the very product you're now applying for raises obvious red flags. Most mainstream lenders have a policy of declining any application where there have been mortgage arrears in the last 3 years. The self-employed income added complexity — David's company accounts showed lower profits in the difficult years, even though current trading was strong.
What Darryl Did
Darryl focused on two key strengths in the case: the missed payments were now over 18 months in the past and fully resolved, and the couple had significant equity in their current property — 38% — which demonstrated a strong financial stake in their home. He approached Precise Mortgages, a specialist lender known for manual underwriting of complex cases, with a detailed case presentation explaining the circumstances of the missed payments and the recovery in David's business. Precise reviewed the application individually.
✅ The Outcome
Mortgage offer in 9 weeks. David and Michelle purchased their 4-bedroom family home in Long Ashton, Bristol for £385,000. They used the equity from their existing property as a 25% deposit. Rate: 5.44% fixed for 3 years.
"We thought our dream of a bigger home was gone. Two people had already told us no lender would touch us. Darryl didn't just find us a lender — he explained exactly why we were in a better position than we thought and was right every step of the way."
— David & Michelle, BristolIn a similar situation?
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This case study is based on a real client scenario and has been anonymised to protect client privacy. Names, locations and some details have been changed. Outcomes shown are not guaranteed — mortgage approval depends on individual circumstances, lender criteria and affordability assessment. YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP YOUR REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE OR ANY OTHER LOAN SECURED AGAINST IT. This page is for general information only and does not constitute regulated financial advice. The Mortgage Geezer is a trading style of Access Financial Services Ltd who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The Financial Services Register number is 301173. Registered in England No. 04427489. Registered office address Access Financial Services Ltd, Unit 1 Furtho Court, Towcester Road, Old Stratford, Milton Keynes, MK19 6AN.