Advice for your first home
Understand whether buying now is realistic, what your deposit needs to cover and how your credit history may affect your options. Speak to Count Ready before committing to a mortgage application.
Advice by phone and online across the UK. Lending depends on your circumstances and the property. Fees for further work vary by case.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
Start with the details
It may be possible, but being a first-time buyer does not remove a lender’s credit and affordability checks. The type, age and current status of any credit issues matter alongside income, commitments, deposit and the home you want to buy.
A missed payment, a default and an insolvency arrangement are different circumstances. There is no universal credit-score pass mark or guaranteed deposit size for every applicant.
Our role is to help you understand the relevant options and prepare a suitable application if there is a route available. Sometimes the more useful advice is to prepare further before applying.
Gather the date, amount, account type and current status of each relevant event. Explain whether debts are outstanding, settled or satisfied and whether any arrangement is still running. A screenshot of a headline score rarely gives the whole picture.
The ICO explains access to free statutory credit reports and how to query errors. You do not need a paid subscription to obtain a statutory report.
We will also discuss income, employment or business circumstances, regular spending, existing debts, dependants and your available savings. Accurate information helps us assess the case before a lender request.
A high income does not cancel out adverse credit, and repaying a debt does not erase its history. Avoid spending your deposit on debt repayment solely on the assumption that it will guarantee acceptance.
Read our existing guidance on CCJs, defaults and other credit circumstances for more focused explanations.
The requirement depends on the lender, credit history, property and wider application. A larger deposit may widen the options, but no percentage guarantees acceptance. Do not assume that a low-deposit mortgage advertised for first-time buyers will accept your particular credit history.
If family members are helping, explain whether the money is a gift, a loan or an investment in the home. Our gifted-deposit guide covers the evidence and questions to prepare.
Budget for mortgage payments alongside bills, debt repayments, maintenance and unexpected expenses. The lender’s maximum borrowing figure is not a personal spending target.
Use our repayment calculator to explore figures using a rate and term you enter. It does not assess adverse-credit eligibility or provide a mortgage quotation.
A sole application is assessed on the applicant’s acceptable income and commitments. With joint applicants, both credit histories matter; a partner’s stronger score does not remove another applicant’s record. Discuss ownership and borrowing responsibilities before choosing an arrangement.
Use evidence appropriate to your business structure. The lender may assess income differently from the figure you take home. Read the existing self-employed mortgage guide and explain both income and credit circumstances together.
Property type, reservation deadlines and any incentive need checking. Shared ownership or another homeownership scheme does not bypass lender checks. Establish eligibility, all ongoing costs and the provider’s requirements before paying a reservation fee.
In England, shared ownership has its own eligibility rules, alongside the mortgage assessment. Arrangements differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The main first-time buyer guide provides the wider scheme and cost context; ask for a current check for your nation and chosen property.
Tell us your buying stage, approximate deposit, income and credit concerns. You do not need to have found a property to start a conversation.
We discuss the information needed, affordability and potential lender requirements. That may identify a route to explore or an issue to resolve first.
Ask which checks will be made before requesting a decision. An AIP is provisional and does not guarantee an offer. Our bad-credit AIP guide explains preparation and possible outcomes.
If a suitable route is available, compare the rate, fees, term and flexibility, and understand the recommendation. The full application requires supporting evidence and property checks.
If the lender issues an offer, read its conditions and expiry with your adviser and conveyancer. The legal buying process has separate stages, particularly Scotland’s missives process. Take solicitor advice before a binding commitment.
Prepare identification and address information, evidence of income, relevant bank statements, deposit-source evidence and credit-event details. Exact requirements vary. Use the existing mortgage document checklist.
Ask what is preventing progress and what could realistically change. An error may need correcting, evidence may be incomplete or the budget may be too stretched. There is no fixed waiting period that guarantees a future mortgage.
If a lender has declined you, keep its explanation and check which stage was reached. Repeated applications without understanding the reason can create unnecessary searches. See our guide to AIP credit checks.
We offer mortgage advice by phone and online. We can help you understand lender requirements, discuss suitable options where available and explain the application evidence. Ask your adviser to explain the scope of the search, any limitations and why a mortgage is recommended.
The initial consultation is free. Fees for further work vary by case and are agreed before chargeable work begins. A processing fee may apply separately from an offer fee and is not charged in every case. We may also receive commission from the lender. Ask for the fee amount, payment stage and any refund terms in writing before proceeding.
Read our Terms of Business and main advice and fee explanation. We cannot guarantee a lender’s decision or a future remortgage onto a cheaper rate.
It may be possible, depending on the date, amount, status and wider application. Lenders differ in what they accept. Discuss the actual credit entries, deposit and affordability before requesting a decision.
Do not assume a 5% deposit will be sufficient for your case. Eligibility depends on the lender, credit history, property and other circumstances. A low-deposit product advertised for first-time buyers is not evidence that adverse credit will be accepted.
No. A limited credit record is different from recorded missed payments, defaults or other adverse entries. Both can affect assessment, but the lender needs to understand the actual history rather than relying on the label.
No. Explain the loan type and repayments. UK income-contingent student loan repayments can affect disposable income and affordability, while private borrowing may be assessed differently. Do not treat every student loan as an adverse-credit marker.
No. Both applicants’ finances and credit histories are relevant. A joint application also creates borrowing responsibilities. Discuss the arrangement and legal ownership rather than assuming one person’s score overrides the other’s record.
No. Future options depend on lender criteria, affordability, property value, available products and your circumstances at the time. Choose a mortgage you can manage without relying on a guaranteed cheaper remortgage.
Start with a brief outline of your deposit, income, buying stage and credit concern. We can explain what information would help and whether an application is worth exploring now.
Reviewed 7 September 2026. General UK information, not a personal mortgage recommendation. Source references include the ICO and GOV.UK links above and MoneyHelper’s bad-credit mortgage guidance. Lender criteria and scheme details should be checked before an application.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
