Late payments and arrears
Record which accounts were affected, when, how often and whether payments are now up to date. An isolated old late payment and continuing mortgage or rent arrears require different conversations.
Check the credit history behind the score
It may be possible, but shared ownership does not bypass credit checks. The housing provider and mortgage lender both need to accept your circumstances. Understanding their requirements before applying can help you decide what to do next.
Free initial consultation by phone or online. Further fees vary by case. Advice and fees
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. Missing rent or other lease payments can also put your shared ownership home at risk.
A shared ownership purchase must satisfy the provider’s requirements as well as the lender’s credit, affordability and property checks. A provider may have its own adverse-credit policy. A lender’s provisional decision does not override that policy or guarantee a mortgage offer.
For example, NCHA publishes an adverse-credit policy and explicitly says its assessment does not guarantee a mortgage. Its rules apply to its homes; they are not a universal rule for every provider.
Separately, Pepper Money’s published shared ownership range addresses some past credit issues, with products distinguished by CCJ and default history. That is evidence that some specialist options exist, not confirmation that you qualify or that Count Ready can arrange a particular product.
A score shown by a credit-reference service is a guide, not a mortgage pass mark. Different lenders assess the underlying information in different ways. There is no single score that guarantees a shared ownership mortgage.
Record which accounts were affected, when, how often and whether payments are now up to date. An isolated old late payment and continuing mortgage or rent arrears require different conversations.
Bring the registration date, amount, current balance and whether each entry is satisfied or disputed. Check that the reports match your records. A paid entry does not necessarily disappear immediately.
Explain any DMP, IVA, bankruptcy, DRO or relevant Scottish arrangement, including start, completion or discharge dates. Do not assume a rule for defaults also applies to insolvency.
These are details to assess, not approval categories. The provider or lender may be unable to accept the history, particularly where problems are unresolved. Avoid treating an advertised waiting period as a promise that every application qualifies when it ends.
For more detail on particular records, use our existing default mortgage guide, CCJ mortgage guide or broader first-time buyer bad-credit guidance.
Get your statutory credit reports and look for incorrect accounts, addresses, balances or payment markers. Agencies can hold different information. Checking your own report does not lower your score. MoneyHelper explains the free access routes.
Prepare a factual timeline and supporting records, such as settlement confirmations or a corrected creditor statement. An explanation helps an adviser understand the case but does not require a lender to accept it.
Ask the provider and adviser what assessment is required, who will run a search and whether it is hard or soft. An eligibility enquiry, provider assessment, AIP and full application are different stages. See AIPs and credit searches.
Confirm the provider’s policy, mortgage possibilities and reservation refund terms. Use our mortgage document checklist for income, deposit and identity evidence. Agree a secure route before sending financial documents.
If you cannot meet current payments, deal with that first. Speak to your creditors and seek free debt advice rather than taking on new borrowing to make a mortgage application look stronger. MoneyHelper’s debt advice locator can help you find support.
Neither automatically changes the credit decision. A larger deposit may reduce borrowing, but the provider and lender still need to accept the history. Do not empty your emergency reserve or borrow a deposit without discussing the implications.
A smaller share may reduce the mortgage but leaves more of the home subject to rent. The available and affordable share is assessed; you cannot assume you can select any percentage to get around a decline.
Include mortgage payments, rent, service charges, existing debt payments and everyday living costs in the budget. If the suitable mortgage costs more than expected, check the total again before committing. The shared ownership mortgage guide explains deposits, costs and scheme differences across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
A gifted deposit needs disclosure and evidence. It does not remove a credit issue or replace the provider’s assessment.
Find out whether the decision came from the housing provider, a mortgage lender or a preliminary eligibility tool. Ask what information was considered and what feedback can be provided. An adviser can then assess whether a factual correction, another suitable route or waiting would be appropriate.
Do not immediately submit the same case to several lenders. Repeated hard searches can affect how later applications are viewed, and a different lender cannot fix an unmet provider requirement. Experian explains hard and soft searches.
If nothing suitable is available now, ask what would need to change and when a review would be useful. A review date is not a promised approval date. Shared ownership is not necessarily easier to obtain than an ordinary mortgage.
We can discuss the credit events, current budget and proposed provider, and assess mortgage options within the scope of our advice. We can also explain what information needs checking before an application. We cannot remove accurate credit entries, override a provider’s policy or guarantee an offer.
The initial consultation is free. Further fees vary by case and are agreed before chargeable work starts. A processing fee may apply separately from an offer fee and is not charged in every case. We may receive lender commission. Ask for the fees, payment stages and refund terms in writing; see our Terms of Business.
A joint application involves assessing both applicants. Good credit for one person does not cancel the other person’s history. A sole application also needs to satisfy provider and lender rules; disclose who will live in the home and how the household finances work.
No. Settlement can change the status of a debt, but acceptance still depends on the provider and lender. Obtain confirmation of any payment and check the report updates correctly. Do not assume that paying a default removes its history immediately.
No. Having little recorded borrowing is different from having missed payments or defaults. It can still make assessment harder for some lenders. Explain your address and income history so the adviser can check the relevant requirements.
Some cases may have no suitable route, and a completed arrangement does not automatically qualify. The provider’s policy and the lender’s rules must both be checked using the correct completion or discharge dates and the full credit history. There is no universal waiting period.
Both aspects need assessment. Provide the available income evidence, trading history and details of the credit events. A lender that accepts self-employed income does not necessarily accept the adverse history or the shared ownership property.
No. The mortgage lender still needs to complete its own checks, including the borrower, property and lease. Likewise, an agreement in principle from a lender does not override the housing provider’s policy.
Start with the type of credit issue, approximate dates, whether it is resolved and the property or provider you are considering. You can enquire while researching; you do not need to have reserved a home.
Reviewed 7 September 2026. General UK information, not personal mortgage, legal or debt advice. Provider, scheme and lender requirements vary; England examples must not be assumed to apply throughout the UK.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. Missing rent or other lease payments can also put your shared ownership home at risk.
