What's possible with defaults or CCJs on file, what specialist lenders price like, and when to wait vs apply.
The honest answer
Mortgages with adverse credit exist but are priced higher and need bigger deposits. Pricing improves sharply once events are 24+ months old and you have 12+ months of clean history.
Typical profile-to-lender map
- **Clean for 36+ months, small old default**: many high-street lenders.
- **Default 12–24 months ago**: specialist lenders, ~20–35% deposit, 1–2 percentage points over best buys.
- **Recent default or CCJ**: niche specialists, 25–40% deposit.
- **Active arrangement / unsatisfied CCJ**: very limited; usually wait.
What to do now if a mortgage is the goal
- Stop applying for anything else — every hard search hurts.
- Build 6+ months of perfect direct debit history.
- Save deposit aggressively.
- Get on the electoral roll.