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Remortgage
Most homeowners with missed payments, defaults, or a CCJ can still remortgage, whether through a specialist lender, a product transfer with their existing lender, or a second-charge mortgage.
Yes, you can remortgage with bad credit in the UK, though your options will depend on the type and age of the credit issue, your loan-to-value (LTV), and how you've managed your finances since. Missed payments, defaults, County Court Judgments (CCJs), and even a discharged bankruptcy don't automatically rule you out.
The older and more isolated the credit issue, the more choice you're likely to have. Speaking to a specialist mortgage advisor before you apply can help you understand realistically which lenders might consider your circumstances, and can protect your credit file from unnecessary hard searches.
When lenders assess a remortgage with bad credit, they're not looking at a single three-digit score. They're looking at your full credit history, including how you've managed borrowing over recent years, and lenders that specialise in this area can take a considerably more flexible view than a mainstream bank would.
Bad credit for a remortgage typically includes:
It's worth understanding the difference between your credit score and your credit history. Your score is a number generated by a credit reference agency, and it varies between agencies. Lenders assessing an adverse credit remortgage don't rely on that number alone - they look at your actual credit history, including the type, size, age, and pattern of any adverse credit, alongside your income and the deposit or equity you have available.
If your credit issue is a default, see our guide to a mortgage with a default for more detail on how lenders treat this specific type of adverse credit, or our guide to a mortgage with a CCJ if that applies to you. If you're a landlord rather than a homeowner, our guide to buy-to-let remortgage with bad credit covers the criteria specific to rental properties.
Adverse credit doesn't disappear from your file the moment your circumstances improve, but lender appetite for higher-risk applications often softens well before an entry has fully cleared. Here's a general guide to how long common credit issues typically stay on file, and roughly when specialist and mainstream lenders tend to become more receptive.
These are general patterns rather than guarantees - individual lender criteria change, and how a specific application is viewed also depends on your income, deposit, and overall financial picture. The general rule still holds: the older and more isolated the credit issue, the more remortgage options you're likely to have.
Understand your options
Tell us about your circumstances and we'll explain, in plain English, which lenders might consider your application.
Once you understand how lenders view your specific credit issue, it helps to see the routes actually available to you. Homeowners looking to remortgage with bad credit generally have three main paths, each suited to slightly different circumstances. Each of these routes involves borrowing secured against your home, so it's worth keeping the risk in mind before you decide: your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or any other debt secured on it.
If your main goal is to clear existing borrowing rather than raise capital for another purpose, it's also worth reading about how to remortgage to consolidate debt, which compares that route against the options below in more detail.
Bad credit remortgage options
How much equity you have, expressed as loan-to-value (LTV), has a big influence on which lenders will consider a bad credit remortgage application. Generally, the more equity you hold, the wider your choice of lenders and the more competitive the terms available.
Even a small reduction in loan-to-value can significantly widen your lender choice. Homeowners with a default or CCJ who can get below 75% LTV, whether by paying down the balance or because the property has increased in value, often find specialist lenders considerably more competitive than at 80%+ LTV.
Keep in mind that LTV is calculated against your property's current value, not what you originally paid for it. If your home has increased in value since you took out your existing mortgage, your effective LTV may be lower than you'd assumed, which could open up more options than you'd expect.
Specialist lenders that consider adverse credit generally charge more than mainstream lenders reserve for borrowers with a clean credit history. This reflects the additional risk the lender is taking on, and the more detailed, manual underwriting involved in assessing your application on its individual merits rather than through automated scoring alone.
It's a genuine cost to weigh up, but it isn't necessarily the full picture. If your current fixed deal is ending, the alternative to a specialist remortgage isn't always a mainstream rate - it's often your existing lender's standard variable rate (SVR), which tends to be considerably more expensive than either a mainstream fix or many specialist adverse credit products. In some cases, a higher rate on a purpose-built bad credit remortgage can still work out better value than doing nothing and reverting to SVR.
Rates change frequently and depend on your individual circumstances, credit profile, and the lender's current criteria at the time you apply. Speak to an advisor for a personalised, up-to-date illustration rather than relying on general figures.
Remortgaging with bad credit is possible for most homeowners, but that doesn't automatically make it the right move for everyone, right now. A responsible advisor should talk through the downsides as well as the benefits before recommending you proceed.
Worth checking first
Whatever route you take, there are practical steps that can improve how your application is viewed by a specialist lender. None of these guarantee approval, but they can genuinely strengthen your position.
A specialist broker can run a soft-search eligibility check across multiple lenders' criteria before you formally apply. That means you can see roughly where you stand without any impact on your credit score, which matters when you're trying to improve your position rather than risk further damage from repeated hard searches.
How to prepare
Check all three credit reports
Get copies from Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion and correct any factual errors before you apply - each agency can hold slightly different information.
Register on the electoral roll
Many lenders use this to verify your identity and address history. Being unregistered can hold up an otherwise strong application.
Reduce your credit utilisation
Aim to keep balances on any active credit cards or overdrafts below 30% of your available limit in the months before you apply.
Make sure settled debts show as settled
Contact creditors to confirm any satisfied defaults or CCJs are updated correctly on your file - errors here are more common than you'd expect.
Avoid new credit applications
Try to avoid applying for new credit in the six months before you remortgage, as each hard search can affect your score and raise questions with a lender.
Gather evidence of improved financial behaviour
Bank statements showing consistent income and responsible spending can support a specialist lender's manual underwriting decision.
Use a specialist broker who runs soft searches first
A soft search won't affect your credit score, unlike applying directly to several lenders and accumulating multiple hard searches.
We compare a wide range of lenders, including specialist options not always available directly.
A specialist mortgage advisor can make a real difference to a bad credit remortgage application. Rather than approaching lenders one at a time and risking a hard search on each attempt, an advisor can run soft-search eligibility checks first, giving you an idea of where you stand without leaving a mark on your credit file.
We compare a wide range of lenders, including specialist lenders that focus specifically on adverse credit and aren't always available directly to consumers. Your advisor will look at the full picture of your circumstances, not just the credit issue itself, and present your case in a way that gives you the best chance of a favourable decision. You can check any firm's authorisation on the Financial Conduct Authority register.
If you're finding it difficult to keep up with existing payments, or you're worried about managing your finances more broadly, free and impartial guidance is available from MoneyHelper (0800 138 7777) or Citizens Advice. Speaking to one of these services alongside a mortgage advisor can help you understand all of your options, not just remortgaging.
Whichever route you take, your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or any other debt secured on it, so it's worth getting a clear picture of affordability before committing to any deal.
Common questions
Yes. If your CCJ is satisfied and older than around two to three years, some specialist and even a handful of mainstream lenders may consider your application. An unsatisfied CCJ will generally mean you need a specialist lender regardless of age. Your LTV, income, and the size of the CCJ will all factor into a lender's decision.
Yes, through specialist lenders. Defaults under three years old typically mean a specialist lender and a maximum loan-to-value of around 75-80%. Defaults older than three years, especially alongside a good payment history since, may open up a wider range of products, including some mainstream options.
A full remortgage application involves a hard credit search, which can cause a small, temporary dip in your score. A product transfer with your existing lender usually doesn't involve a new hard search, which is one reason it's worth considering first if your mortgage payments have been maintained.
Yes. Specialist lenders offer fixed, tracker, and variable products to borrowers with adverse credit, just as mainstream lenders do. A fixed rate can help with budgeting certainty, even where the starting rate is higher than a mainstream equivalent.
Most bad credit remortgages complete within four to eight weeks from application, though more complex cases, or properties that need a detailed valuation, can take longer. A product transfer with your existing lender is usually much faster, sometimes completing within a few days.
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