Your Home Finance
Bad credit doesn't automatically stop you remortgaging.
Whether you have CCJs, defaults, missed payments or an IVA, the right remortgage route depends on recency, equity and what has changed since.
Over 30 years
adverse remortgage
Equity & recency
expertise
Specialist lenders
matched daily
FCA regulated
advice
How your case is assessed
How lenders assess a bad-credit remortgage
Remortgage underwriting still reads the adverse marks — but equity, current mortgage conduct and whether you are switching rate, raising capital or consolidating debt change the conversation.
How much equity do you have?
Stronger equity usually widens specialist choice and can offset older adverse marks. Thin equity with recent issues narrows the panel.
What is on the credit file — and how recent?
CCJs, defaults, missed payments and IVAs are assessed differently. Age, satisfaction and clean conduct since usually matter as much as the type.
Rate switch, capital raise or consolidation?
Leaving a punitive SVR is a different case from releasing equity or rolling unsecured debt onto the mortgage — affordability and purpose both matter.
Is current mortgage conduct clean?
On-time mortgage payments strengthen the remortgage case. Recent mortgage arrears face tighter scrutiny than historic unsecured marks alone.
You don't need to guess remortgage LTV tiers yourself — we map equity, purpose and the full file first.
If the issue is primarily a CCJ, default, IVA or missed payments on a purchase journey, see the matching flagship — CCJ, defaults, IVA or missed payments.
Specialist insight
Not every remortgage lender treats adverse credit the same way
Recent adverse + thin equity
Higher challenge
Narrower specialist panel · lower maximum LTV common · capital raising or consolidation may need to wait or reduce.
Older marks + stronger equity
More lender choice
Broader adverse remortgage options · clearer path to leave SVR or refinance when equity and clean recent conduct support the case.
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: 13 October 2026
CeMAP awarded by The London Institute of Banking & Finance. Cert CII (MP) awarded by the Chartered Insurance Institute.
Specialist in adverse-credit remortgages
Helping clients with complex credit histories for over 30 years · CeMAP, Cert CII (MP) · FCA regulated
“With adverse credit, equity and what has changed since the marks often decide the remortgage tier more than the label alone.”
Reviewed by Jay Sabine · Mortgage adviser · Over 30 years' experience
Lived experience
Mistakes we repeatedly see
Where adverse remortgage cases go wrong before a specialist reads equity and purpose together.
Assuming the current lender is the only option
Product transfer may look simple, but adverse history can leave you on a poor SVR — specialists may still beat that rate with enough equity.
Raising capital without checking the new LTV
Extra borrowing after adverse marks can push you into a thinner, more expensive tier — or stop the remortgage entirely.
Consolidating debt without a clear plan
Lower monthly payments can help affordability on paper, but securing short-term debt on the home increases total interest and risk.
Applying while mortgage conduct is still pressured
Clean recent mortgage payments often matter as much as older unsecured marks when remortgaging.
Real client scenarios
How we've helped with bad-credit remortgages
Based on genuine cases we've helped with. Personal details have been changed to protect privacy.
Satisfied default — leave SVR
- ~33% equity
- Satisfied default 2+ years
- Rate switch
- Placed
Situation
Property worth roughly £300k with about £200k outstanding. Satisfied default over two years old. Fixed deal ending and facing SVR.
Challenge
Current lender would not price a competitive deal with the default still visible — client assumed remortgage was impossible.
What changed
Mapped specialist remortgage lenders who accept aged satisfied defaults with strong equity — rate switch only, no capital raise.
Outcome
Moved off SVR with a specialist remortgage — equity made the case placeable.
Why it worked
Equity and aged satisfied status reached the right remortgage tier — not another hopeful product-transfer decline.
Recent CCJ — capital raise delayed
- ~20% equity
- CCJ under 12 months
- Advised wait
- Then placed
Situation
Wanted to remortgage and raise capital with a CCJ registered in the last year and around 20% equity.
Challenge
Combined recent adverse and thinner equity left almost no sensible capital-raise options without burning searches.
What changed
Honest advice: keep mortgage payments clean, revisit once the CCJ aged further or raise less — then one specialist remortgage for rate.
Outcome
Avoided failed capital-raise applications; later placed a cleaner rate-switch remortgage.
Why it worked
Matching purpose to equity and recency prevented wasted footprints.
Not sure whether you can remortgage with your credit history?
Tell us your approximate equity, what is on the credit file and whether you need a rate switch, capital raise or consolidation. Jay will review the remortgage route before recommending any lender approach.
No hard credit search at this stage · No obligation
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.
- Approximate property value and outstanding balance
- What adverse marks are on the file — and how recent
- Rate switch, capital raise or debt consolidation?
- Whether current mortgage payments are up to date
Advisory promise
When we might tell you to wait
We won't always tell you to remortgage today.
We may advise waiting where adverse marks are very recent, equity is thin for the borrowing you want, or consolidating debt onto the mortgage would leave you worse off overall.
If waiting — or borrowing less — 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 remortgaging with bad credit
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
Tell us about your equity and credit history and we'll assess remortgage options honestly.
We don't recommend a lender until we've understood your equity, the age of any adverse marks, and whether you need a rate switch, capital raise or consolidation.
£500 adviser fee — payable on completion.
Let's review your remortgage options
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.
Related guides
Related adverse-credit journeys
If you are buying rather than remortgaging — or one mark dominates the file — these chapters help.
Bad credit mortgages
Purchase and wider adverse-credit decision page.
Open guide →
CCJ mortgages
If a CCJ is the main issue on the file.
Open guide →
Default mortgages
If defaults dominate the remortgage conversation.
Open guide →
Remortgaging hub
Standard remortgage journey when credit is not the blocker.
Open guide →