Most UK bad credit mortgage lenders only work through mortgage brokers — you cannot apply directly. Darryl Dhoffer has direct relationships with all the major specialist lenders, knows their current criteria inside out, and matches your case to the right lender first time — avoiding wasted applications and credit file damage.
One of the most common mistakes bad credit borrowers make is applying directly to multiple lenders. Each application creates a hard search on your credit file. Multiple hard searches in a short period lowers your score and signals to lenders that you have been refused elsewhere — making subsequent applications harder.
The right approach is to work with a specialist broker who knows which lenders will consider your specific situation and can make a single targeted application to the right lender.
The main specialist lenders for bad credit mortgages in the UK include:
Most high street banks use automated scoring systems that decline applications with adverse credit automatically. However some high street lenders are more flexible than others:
Darryl assesses whether any mainstream lender is suitable for your situation before considering specialist options — mainstream rates are always cheaper when accessible.
Specialist lenders use manual underwriting — a human reviewer reads your full application and credit file rather than relying on automated scoring. They consider:
This holistic approach means a case that would be auto-declined by a high street bank can still get a mortgage offer from a specialist lender.
Specialist lenders including Kensington, Pepper Money, Together, Aldermore and Precise Mortgages all have criteria for CCJ mortgages. The key factors are the size of the CCJ, whether it is satisfied, and how long ago it was registered. Some lenders will ignore CCJs below certain amounts, particularly if they are satisfied and over two years old.
Yes — specialist lenders will consider applications with multiple defaults. The total value of the defaults, how recently they were registered and whether they are settled all affect the options available. Darryl has helped many clients with multiple defaults get mortgage offers from specialist lenders.
Yes — specialist lender rates are typically higher than mainstream rates, reflecting the additional risk of lending to borrowers with adverse credit. However the premium varies significantly depending on the severity of your credit issues and the lender. Darryl compares rates across the full specialist market to identify the best available deal for your situation.
Most specialist mortgage lenders in the UK only work through mortgage brokers — they do not accept direct applications from borrowers. Kensington, Pepper Money, Together, Aldermore and Precise Mortgages all require you to apply through an authorised mortgage broker. Working with a broker also means your application is prepared correctly and matched to the right lender first time.
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.