Can I Get A Mortgage With No Credit History?
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So, What Is The Score When You’ve No Credit Score – a mortgage with no credit history?
First-time buyers, whether for their own home or a buy-to-let investment, who don’t have a credit history, are in a unique situation. While living without worrying about debt is great, lenders don’t like the unknown. When they run a credit check on you, they want a history of responsible borrowing and timely repayments. If they can’t verify those things, they won’t have anything to assess your level of risk.
They’d view it as taking a chance, with the majority resisting the idea of leaving anything to chance, so instead, they’ll choose to reject your application.
For those with no debt, the odds are stacked against you due to the way the finance sector works. It appears that the finance industry wants you to have debt; however, that’s only because when you do, they can then use your repayment history and your levels of debt to make educated assumptions on how you’ll manage future debts.
This isn’t a unique situation for those who have never had any debt. The only information held by the UK credit reference agencies is your UK-associated finances. Not anything you’ve had overseas, so people moving to the UK will be starting from scratch, and those who have left and are now returning will also have low credit scores.
Regardless of whether you’re an expat returning, moving to the UK for the first time, or have never had any debts, the same situation recurs. People have no credit history, little credit history, or a limited history with gaps for time spent living overseas.
The main points you want to have covered before applying for credit are these:
- That you have a UK bank account
- You have UK employment records, and wages being paid to a UK Current bank account. For contractors, the self-employed, and CIS workers, regular deposits are being made to your Current account.
- That the current bank account you use has Direct Debits being paid from it. The reason is that it’s at least a history of managing your bills.
- That you are registered on the Electoral Roll because it’s proof of British Citizenship. If, for whatever reason, you haven’t met the requirements of being registered to vote, see this page here, as you may be able to apply a Notice of Correction to your credit files to explain that you aren’t or weren’t eligible.
On that last point about the Electoral Roll, the records for Scotland, England and Wales are updated on the 1st December annually. Local councils canvas households in the few months leading up to December 1st to obtain up-to-date factual data. Check your credit report to find out what address you’re registered with and if that’s changed, use this page to update your details on your local council’s rolling register.
Once you’ve done that, it will be faster to notify each of the three credit reference agencies (Experian, Equifax and CallCredit) to make them aware that your details have changed and request they update your credit files. They’ll access the rolling register details (updated monthly) to verify your information, and then update your credit file accordingly.
Building Credit To Obtain Mortgage Finance
It’s not necessary to pay interest rates in order to build a credit profile. There are credit builder credit cards available, which can be useful but also pricey. What won’t work in the UK is being added to your parents’ credit card (or anyone else’s) as an authorised user. There are credit-building tips on the web that relate to the U.S.A but don’t apply to the UK. One of those is that you can build credit by being added to someone else’s credit card.
You can be an authorised user on someone else’s account in the UK. This will see you supplied with a credit card that’s linked to someone else. That’s only reported on the main credit card holder’s credit file and won’t count towards how you manage your credit. James Jones of Experian explains on uk.creditcards.com, “it will have no impact on the secondary cardholder’s credit rating”. In other words, if you want to build credit using a credit card, it must be held in your own name to be linked to your credit files.
There are some people who have surplus savings set aside, perhaps left through inheritance, that they use for larger purchases; in that case, managing how you spend those savings is essential.
When building your credit, it’s important to keep things in proportion and keep your debt below 45% of your total income. If you earn £20,000 per year, your maximum debt would be £9,000. You could easily max that out if you decide that, instead of using savings to buy a new car, you get it through finance, using someone else as a guarantor to access the finance arrangement.
Use your monthly amount to determine how much you spend, then apply the 45% debt-to-income ratio to it. If you earn on average £1,500 per month, total monthly debt repayments shouldn’t exceed £675 of that, regardless of what savings you have.
This is important if you decide to use a credit card to build your credit. If you wind up putting as much as possible on that, then your credit cards could report that you’re spending credit to the tune of over the amount you can afford to repay, even though it’s not technically credit. Paying an outstanding balance in full that’s above 45% of your household income towards a credit card can be indicative of money mismanagement, so be aware of that when you’re using a credit card to build a credit profile.
Keep your monthly payments manageable, but below 45% of your earnings. You never want a huge chunk of your wages going solely toward paying down a credit card balance.
Money Management For No Credit History Mortgages Search
Your current finances will be assessed to determine whether they meet the affordability criteria. That’s why it’s imperative to monitor how much you’re putting onto a credit card.
In addition to your credit report, the application process will require an assessment of your income. For that, you will need to provide proof of income. For self-employed contractors, this can be difficult, so, if possible, arrange regular deposits into your current bank account.
For salaried employment, it’s standard to be paid monthly or weekly, so evidence of regular income is straightforward to prove. Ideally, have three to six months of deposits going into your bank account.
You will need at least a 6-month history for a credit check. This is the same for any creditor. Even to get a mobile phone contract, you’ll be credit-checked. It helps to have a guarantor for short-term finance agreements, such as a mobile phone plan.
The idea is to get your name onto credit agreements to build a credit profile, but it doesn’t have to be credit. As long as you’ve got Direct Debits being debited from your current account and you’re named as the account holder for whatever the bill is for, be it with the gas company, broadband provider, or an insurance policy that Direct Debit pays, the company can report to the credit reference agency that there’s no defaults, which shows you are managing your money and haven’t experienced a bounced Direct Debit due to insufficient funds.
You will need a credit history in the UK before you’ll be accepted for a mortgage. There aren’t any “no credit check” mortgage lenders in the UK. What there are are mortgage lenders that don’t use credit scores because they’ll instead assess your application and credit history manually.
Having no credit can be just as bad as having a bad credit report that shows all sorts of defaults. The reason is that there’s no information for lenders to assess your level of risk. At least with a bad credit history, there’s information there to show lenders they’d be taking a risk by approving a loan. Without any credit, there’s only the unknown, which can’t be reflected accurately with interest rates alone.
Credit reports show your credit history for the last six years. However, applying for a mortgage doesn’t require six years of credit management. With specialist lenders, at least 3 to 6 months of regular Direct Payments and properly managed credit accounts will suffice. That’s provided you’re in salaried employment and not self-employed. Mortgages for the self-employed will require more evidence of income. High street banks may want to see more history, but when it’s lacking, you may need to work with an adverse credit mortgage lender.
This type of lender is best suited to mortgage applicants with a history of debt mismanagement. The term also applies to those with unfavourable circumstances, so it is an option for those with a limited credit history, which can lead to a low credit score.
You won’t get a guaranteed mortgage acceptance, as there are no mortgages for bad credit; however, by choosing an adverse credit mortgage broker and explaining why you have limited or no credit history, they can advise on how to proceed with a mortgage application.
You won’t get a mortgage approved with no credit history. Therefore, you need to build a credit profile. The more you have, isn’t always better as it depends on where you put your credit. If you put too much of your living expenses onto a credit builder credit card, it can indicate that you’re spending beyond your means – if that amount is higher than 45% of your income.
That part is essential to remember when figuring out how to get a mortgage with bad credit but good income, because living debt-free is good, until it comes around to arranging finance. Then, interest rates can spike beyond what you should be paying just because of a lack of information for creditors to assess your level of risk.
Are you looking for a loan of 25000, even with adverse credit?
The main characteristics of loans for 25k are early repayment fees, the impact of loan arrears, a discounted property valuation, and evidence of payday loans on bank statements. You could also consider no-credit-history mortgages.
Considering a mortgage rate on a second home at an interest rate close to the base rate?
The key issues with an interest-only second mortgage are adverse credit intolerance, the effect of mortgage arrears, the 3rd party valuation of the home pledged as collateral and insufficient personal income.
Considering fast fixed-rate 2nd charge loans to pay for debt consolidation?
The main characteristics of a fixed-rate 2nd mortgage are adverse credit intolerance, the effect of joint homeowners’ secured-loan arrears, the 3rd-party valuation of the home pledged as collateral, and evidence of a fraudulent application.
Considering fast homeowner loans, no phone call, even with bad credit?
The main features of a homeowner loan with no phone call are a short loan term, the impact of credit defaults, the 3rd party valuation of the property pledged as collateral and the borrower not on the electoral register.
Are you searching for homeowner bad credit loans for people with good credit ?
The main features of bad credit loans for homeowners are inflexible eligibility criteria, the impact of CCJs, the home valuer’s forced-sale price and insufficient personal income.
Are you searching for a secured loan for bad credit to pay for home improvements?
The key issues with secured loans for bad credit in the UK are early repayment fees, the impact of default notices, a discounted property valuation, and payday loans appearing on bank statements.
No Credit Check Mortgages for 2026
To get a decision in principle for your mortgage, you don’t need a hard credit search. Just a soft status check.
Is there a downside to a no-credit-check mortgage?
Yes, with a no-credit-check mortgage, the interest rate is likely to be slightly higher.
Other Useful Guides:
- 2018 Remortgage Industry Report
- Options For Pensioners 65-85
- Zero-Hour Contract Finance
- Government Mortgage Schemes
- Leasehold Property Good Or Bad?
- Near Prime Or Sub-Prime Borrowing
- No Credit History Property Purchasing
- How To Get An Application Approved
- How To Repair Your Credit
- Credit Refinancing Post Divorce
- Remortgage Without The Risk
- Funding Lending Scheme Mortgages
