A low credit score does not mean no mortgage. Most high street banks use automated scoring that ignores your full picture. Darryl Dhoffer works with 90+ specialist lenders who manually underwrite your case — looking at who you are today, not a number from years ago.
If you've been told your credit score is too low for a mortgage, you've likely been speaking to the wrong lenders. High street banks — Halifax, Barclays, NatWest, HSBC — use automated scoring systems that reject anything below their threshold without a human ever looking at your case.
Specialist lenders work completely differently. They manually review your application, consider the reasons behind your credit history, and make a decision based on your current situation. That's where Darryl comes in — he knows exactly which lenders will consider your score and what rates they'll offer.
Each credit reference agency uses a different scoring system:
However, the number you see on these apps is not what lenders actually use. Every lender runs their own internal scoring model on the raw data behind your report. A score that looks poor on Experian could still result in a mortgage offer from the right specialist lender.
Yes — and more commonly than you might think. Pepper Money's 2026 Specialist Lending Study shows 9.26 million UK adults — 17% of the population — have experienced adverse credit in the last three years. Specialist lenders exist specifically for these borrowers.
What matters to specialist lenders is not your headline score but the story behind it. A default from three years ago that's now settled and a clean record since then is very different from a recent missed payment. Darryl reads your credit file exactly as lenders do and can tell you within minutes which lenders will consider your application.
Specialist lenders including Kensington Mortgages, Pepper Money, Together Money, Aldermore and Precise Mortgages all have criteria specifically designed for borrowers with low credit scores. These lenders are only accessible through mortgage brokers — you cannot apply directly.
Darryl has worked with all of these lenders across hundreds of cases. He knows their current criteria, what they will and won't accept, and how to present your case for the best chance of approval.
The rate premium depends on the severity and age of your credit issues:
These are starting points — the actual rate depends on your deposit, income and how recently the issues occurred. Darryl will give you a realistic rate range before any credit search is done.
Yes in many cases. A credit score of 500 on Experian (which goes to 999) is in the poor range for mainstream lenders, but specialist lenders manually underwrite applications and will consider borrowers with scores well below 500. The key factors are how recent your credit issues are, whether they are settled, and your current affordability.
There is no universal minimum credit score for a mortgage in the UK. Each lender sets its own criteria and uses its own scoring model on the raw credit data. High street lenders typically require a score in the good range. Specialist lenders will consider applications from borrowers across the full credit score spectrum based on the full picture of their situation.
Yes — maintaining your mortgage payments consistently is one of the strongest positive signals on a credit file. Most borrowers with bad credit mortgages see meaningful improvement in their scores within 12-24 months of consistent on-time payments, which can allow them to remortgage onto better rates.
Check your score free at Experian.co.uk, ClearScore.com (Equifax data) and Credit Karma (TransUnion data). Checking your own score is a soft search and has no impact on your credit file. Darryl can also review your credit report as part of a free no-obligation consultation.
Yes — a thin credit file (little or no credit history) is different from bad credit. Specialist lenders and some high street lenders will consider applicants with limited credit history. Darryl can identify which lenders are most suitable for your specific situation.
20+ years specialist experience. 90+ lenders. No credit search at this stage.
The Mortgage Geezer is a trading style of Access Financial Services Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority — FCA No. 301173. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on a mortgage.