Your Home Finance
Bankruptcy doesn't automatically stop you getting a mortgage.
Whether you're recently discharged or years clear, waiting periods and deposit usually matter more than people think.
30+ years
post-bankruptcy
Discharge timing
expertise
Specialist lenders
matched daily
FCA regulated
advice
How your case is assessed
How lenders assess bankruptcy
The bankruptcy matters — but discharge date, conduct since, and deposit usually decide which specialists will look.
When were you discharged?
Time since discharge is the primary gate for most specialist lenders — some consider cases sooner; others want three years or more.
What has conduct looked like since?
Clean credit behaviour and stable banking after bankruptcy strengthen the case as much as the discharge date itself.
Deposit or equity?
25%+ is common post-bankruptcy; stronger deposit or remortgage equity widens the specialist panel.
Income and the rest of the file?
Employment length, provable earnings, and any other entries (defaults, CCJs) all shape the tier.
You don't need to guess waiting periods — we map your discharge date and file to realistic lenders first.
Specialist insight
Not every lender treats bankruptcy the same way
Recently discharged
Higher challenge
Narrower panel · larger deposit typical · score-based declines are common before specialists see the recovery story.
Discharged with clean years since
More lender choice
Broader adverse specialists · clearer path when deposit, employment and conduct since discharge are strong.
Independent reviews
Verified client reviews on Reviews.io
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Your adviser
Jay Sabine
Expert mortgage adviser specialising in complex cases including adverse credit, self-employed borrowers, and first-time buyers. All advice is tailored to your individual circumstances.
Content reviewed: 3 August 2026
CeMAP awarded by The London Institute of Banking & Finance. Cert CII (MP) awarded by the Chartered Insurance Institute.
Specialist in bankruptcy and insolvency mortgages
Helping clients with complex credit histories for over 30 years · CeMAP, Cert CII (MP) · FCA regulated
“Being discharged is not the end of the story — different lenders apply very different waiting periods, and deposit often decides the tier.”
Reviewed by Jay Sabine · Mortgage adviser · 30+ years' experience
Lived experience
Mistakes we repeatedly see
Where post-bankruptcy applications go wrong before a specialist ever sees the file.
Assuming one waiting period fits all lenders
Discharge opens tiers year by year — there is no single 'allowed after X months' rule.
Maximum borrowing immediately after discharge
Thin deposit soon after discharge narrows the panel and burns searches.
Only approaching high street banks
Score engines auto-decline. Specialists read the recovery story.
Ignoring conduct since discharge
Clean months since often matter as much as the bankruptcy label itself.
Real client scenarios
How we've helped after bankruptcy
Based on genuine cases we've helped with. Personal details have been changed to protect privacy.
Discharged three years — score decline
- Discharged
- ~3 years
- 25% deposit
- Mortgage approved
Situation
Discharged three years ago. High street declined on credit score alone. 25% deposit, stable employment, no new adverse since discharge.
Challenge
Score-based decline ignored the recovery story — and the client assumed that meant no mortgage was possible.
What changed
One specialist adverse application with a full explanation of recovery since bankruptcy — manual underwriting, not automation.
Outcome
Approved where score-based lenders said no — the full story mattered more than the headline score.
Why it worked
Manual underwriting saw three years of clean recovery — score alone never would.
One year post-discharge — thin deposit
- Early post-discharge
- Built deposit
- Placed at ~18 months
Situation
One year post-discharge. Wanted maximum LTV immediately with a small deposit.
Challenge
Lender set was very narrow at high LTV. Applying now would have burned searches on an unrealistic tier.
What changed
Mapped tiers honestly; client built deposit; we placed at about 18 months post-discharge with a stronger file.
Outcome
Right expectation prevented damaging searches — stronger file, better rate, one application.
Why it worked
Honest tier mapping prevented wasted searches; stronger file at the right time placed once.
What happens after you get in touch
From first contact to a clear answer
What happens when you get in touch — no hard search at this stage.
- 1
Tell us what happened (no hard search at this stage)
- 2
Jay reviews your circumstances
- 3
We discuss the appropriate route — honestly, without promising approval
- 4
If proceeding: Agreement in Principle → application → completion
Reassurance
- Free initial review — before any hard credit search
- We do not promise approval — we match honest advice to your file
- Wrong lender first hurts more than waiting — we guide the sequence
Before you enquire
What we'll ask you on the first call
Straightforward questions — no hard credit search at this stage.
- Discharge date
- Deposit available
- Employment and income since
- Any new adverse since discharge
Advisory promise
When we might tell you to wait
We won't always tell you to apply today.
We may advise waiting where you are only recently discharged and a further period of clean conduct — or a stronger deposit — is likely to increase lender choice or improve pricing.
If waiting would meaningfully widen options, we'll say so and help you plan that path. We give advice — not just applications.
Straight answers
Common questions about bankruptcy mortgages
Our promise
What we'll never do
- Tell you to apply if it won't work
- Send applications everywhere
- Recommend borrowing beyond your budget
- Hide bad news
We don't judge your credit history. We help you understand what's possible.
Find out what's possible
Different lenders apply different waiting periods. We'll identify where you stand today.
We don't recommend a lender until we've confirmed discharge timing, conduct since, and what deposit you can realistically put down.
Discharge timing and deposit decide more than the label. A five-minute conversation can save weeks of wrong-tier applications.
£500 adviser fee — payable on completion.
Let's review your bankruptcy history
Free adviser assessment • No credit search • FCA regulated
We review your whole situation — CCJs, defaults, declines, all of it — before recommending a lender. No credit search at this stage.
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