No-one’s perfect. Most of us can remember a time where we have abused our credit rating or got into debt trouble. Therefore, a majority of us know how frustrating it is being refused a loan based solely on credit history. There are various reasons why an individual can have bad credit, from unexpected illness to County Court Judgements (CCJ’s) to bankruptcy or repossession. Other possible reasons include arrears on mortgage repayments, IVA’s, late Utility Bills, Loans or Card Repayments as, short term loans often create illusionary spending power. This can often result in the borrower becoming trapped in a vicious cycle of loan dependency.
Generally, mainstream UK mortgage lenders will not lend to people with bad credit. Although, there are various specialist lenders in the market who specialise in loans for people with bad credit; such firms usually operate exclusively through mortgage advisors and do not have high street branches but are usually owned by mainstream lenders that do. Bad Credit Remortgages are also known as ‘Problem Remortgages’, ‘Sub-Prime Remortgages’ and ‘Non-Conforming Remortgages’ and are becoming common worldwide to raise money to pay off existing debts. Offers like poor credit history remortgages extend their benefit to help especially those who are struggling with a bad credit history and resultantly are forced to stick to an expensive mortgage schedule. Bad Credit Remortgages give the consumer stability with fixed low interest rates for reliable monthly repayments. They are designed specifically for individuals who have bad credit and therefore have easy and realistic terms which help the borrower manage their loans, thus paving way towards a better credit rating.
The advantages of obtaining a bad credit remortgage include that they don’t require you to more from your mortgaged property and they allow you to use the borrowed capital to pay off your existing debts. The lender will arrange an interest rate that’s also agreeable to the borrower and you will only have one monthly payment to meet (although, the agreement will be made to intentionally minimize the risk to the lender). Additionally, if you pay off your mortgage without defaulting and you keep to the restrictions, your credit history could be cleared within 3 years of your final payment. All the above ensures that the best remortgage terms can be enjoyed despite a bad credit record. The general idea is that you release some of the equity in your home and use this to repay your creditors. As with most things in life, these advantages are also teamed with various disadvantages of obtaining a bad credit remortgage. For example, bad credit remortgages change an unsecured debt into a secured debt as your property is secured against the loan. Therefore, failure to meet payments and stick to the agreement could lose you your home. Also, you must be highly ‘clued-up’ and wary when shopping around for the best bad credit remortgage deal as certain lenders intentionally set up great deals, but end up hiding various aspects of the contract. Most UK Financial Advisors will advise you to stay away from smaller; newly established companies that perhaps aren’t as strong as those owned by mainstream lenders. The advantages of obtaining a bad credit remortgage include that they don’t require you to more from your mortgaged property and they allow you to use the borrowed capital to pay off your existing debts. The lender will arrange an interest rate that’s also agreeable to the borrower and you will only have one monthly payment to meet (although, the agreement will be made to intentionally minimize the risk to the lender). Additionally, if you pay off your mortgage without defaulting and you keep to the restrictions, your credit history could be cleared within 3 years of your final payment. All the above ensures that the best remortgage terms can be enjoyed despite a bad credit record. The general idea is that you release some of the equity in your home and use this to repay your creditors. As with most things in life, these advantages are also teamed with various disadvantages of obtaining a bad credit remortgage. For example, bad credit remortgages change an unsecured debt into a secured debt as your property is secured against the loan. Therefore, failure to meet payments and stick to the agreement could lose you your home. Also, you must be highly ‘clued-up’ and wary when shopping around for the best bad credit remortgage deal as certain lenders intentionally set up great deals, but end up hiding various aspects of the contract. It is advised to stay away from small, newly established lenders that perhaps don’t have as much clout in the financial industry.
If you are struggling to determine if a Bad Credit Remortgage is right for your personal circumstance, then here are a few tips that you might find useful. You should always assess your lifestyle to ensure that you can factor in some internal discipline to cut expenses that are considered luxuries. Also, you must be honest with yourself and establish whether your current mortgage is really something that needs replacing; if you already have a decent deal, it would be unwise to consider a remortgage. You must assess your monthly income; having a well paid and stable income will ensure that you can meet your payments with little trouble. In addition, do your homework; talk with both mortgage brokers and banks to see who can truly provide the best loan. Second, learn the ‘credit game’, be proactive and check your credit record before pursuing a home remortgage loan. For example, Credit Reference Agencies are able to provide you with a ‘Statutory Credit Report’ for a small cost of £2. The credit reference agencies in the UK, Experion, Equifax and Call Credit, compile information about your credit history and provide a report about your bill paying habits to creditors who subscribe to their service. There are a few useful tips that you might like to bear in mind when deciding if a Bad Credit Remortgage is right for you. You should always assess your lifestyle to ensure that you can factor in some internal discipline to cut expenses that are considered luxuries. Furthermore, you need to remain realistic; if you current mortgage deal is one that gives you little hassle, then it probably doesn’t need replacing. You must assess your monthly income; having a well paid and stable income will ensure that you can meet your payments with little trouble. In addition, do your homework; talk with both mortgage brokers and banks to see who can truly provide the best loan. Second, learn the ‘credit game’, be proactive and check your credit record before pursuing a home remortgage loan. For example, for £2 you can obtain a ‘Statutory Credit Report off your local Credit Reference Agency. The credit reference agencies in the UK, Experion, Equifax and Call Credit, compile information about your credit history and provide a report about your bill paying habits to creditors who subscribe to their service.
Bad Credit Remortgages help you save temporary, short term capital, enabling you to get a better grip on your finances. However, they are specifically designed as a last resort. Therefore, they should be treated as such and if you can find other affordable ways to build your credit rating then it would be advised to try those first. The more you take an active role in dealing with your bruised credit now, the faster that County Court Judgement, late payment or Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) will be behind you. It may sound like a huge list of ‘To-Do’s’ that may be quite time consuming, but once you have done your homework and collected all your financial reports, obtaining the remortgage itself should take no longer than a couple of weeks, and when you have that little bit more money in the pocket, the homework will undoubtedly be worth it. Bad Credit Remortgages are a great way to save temporary, short term money, but they are specifically designed as a financial last resort. Thus, they should be treated as such and if you can find other affordable ways to build your credit rating then it would be advised to try those first. The more you take an active role in dealing with your bruised credit now, the faster that County Court Judgement, late payment or Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) will be behind you. It may sound like a huge list of ‘To-Do’s’ that may be quite time consuming, but once you have done your homework and collected all your financial reports, obtaining the remortgage itself should take no longer than a couple of weeks, and when you have that little bit more money in the pocket, the homework will undoubtedly be worth it.
This article was written by James McHeggins, an expert in finding the best remortgage deals. James is a proud worker of JustRemortgages.com and his article has the very best advice for people who have bad credit but are looking to remortgage their home.