Getting a Mortgage With Credit Card Debt

A lot of people worry about getting a mortgage with credit card debt, but the good news is that debt is definitely not a deal breaker.

In this article we’ll look at the factors that can affect your chances of getting a mortgage with credit card debt as well as some things you can do to help.

Can you get a mortgage with credit card debt?

Yes, it’s very possible. The fact of having credit card debt isn’t going to automatically discount you for a mortgage, it’s about how that debt fits in with your wider financial picture, how it came about and what impact it has had on your credit score.

Factors that affect approval chances

When assessing your credit card debt as part of your mortgage application, lenders will be looking at a few different factors. It’s important to understand how these impact your application, so before you start it’s a good idea to sit down and work through each of these, with the help of your credit file, to see where you stand and what improvements you might be able to make.

Debt to income ratio

Although the overall amount of credit card debt you have is important, lenders are more interested in your debt relative to your income, known as your debt to income (DTI) ratio. Your DTI ratio is how much of your income goes towards servicing your debts every month and includes your current mortgage payments, credit cards, loans, car finance – anything that’s a debt rather than a bill.

For example, if your monthly household income is £3,000, your current mortgage is £700 per month and you have monthly minimum commitments on loans and credit cards of £300, then your DTI ratio would be 33%. Most lenders are happy with around 20-30% as fairly low risk but if your DTI ratio is approaching 50% then lenders will start to get cautious.

Try our debt-to-income calculator below to work out what your DTI is.

Credit utilisation rate

Another ratio, designed to give lenders more context, is your credit utilisation rate. This is the amount of credit card debt you have as a proportion of what you could have. For example, if you have two credit cards, one with a £2,000 limit and one with a £3,000 limit, the maximum amount of debt you could have is £5,000. If between the two cards you only have £1,000 of debt then this gives you a credit utilisation rate of 20%.

Most lenders look for credit utilisation rates of 30% or lower as showing a responsible approach to borrowing, so if your credit cards are maxed out then you might find it difficult to convince lenders that you’re a safe pair of hands.

Don’t be tempted simply to apply for more credit cards in order to increase your overall credit limits as this could impact your credit score and leave you in a worse position.

Missed repayments

Credit card debt in itself needn’t be a bad thing, in fact if your credit file shows you managing a debt well and making regular, timely repayments this can actually improve your credit score over time. Missed payments however can have the opposite effect, leaving a black mark on your credit file and warning potential lenders that you might be more likely to default on your mortgage payments.

While missed payments don’t make a mortgage impossible, they can make it more difficult and you may need to go through a broker who specialises in mortgages for people with bad credit.

How a broker can help

If you’re worried about getting a mortgage with credit card debt then the very worst thing you can do is bury your head in the sand about it and go ahead and make an application, hoping it works out. If your first application is rushed or badly judged and ends up getting turned down this will only impact your credit score further.

The best option is to go straight to a broker who specialises in mortgages with credit card debt. They’ll be able to honestly appraise your situation, suggest steps you can take to improve your position and then choose the best lender for your individual circumstances. They’ll have experience and understanding of the whole of the mortgage market, and so will make sure that your credit card debt doesn’t mean you miss out on a great mortgage deal.

Which lenders will consider your application?

Your choice of lender will depend on all of the factors discussed above, and how important a part they play in a lender’s decision making process. Unfortunately this will vary hugely, for example many lenders will assess DTI ratios on a case by case basis, but others impose maximum limits. HSBC and Bank of Ireland for example limit to 50% and a few are even lower. Fortunately your broker will be able to save you a lot of research time here by finding the lenders who are the best fit for you.

Should you pay off your credit cards before applying for a mortgage?

This is a tricky one as there can be pros and cons to trying to quickly clear a debt. On the one hand, bringing down your DTI ratio and your credit utilisation rate will have a positive effect, but making significant changes to your debts can have a negative impact on your credit score, in the short term at least. If you do want to pay off large amounts it might be sensible to do this as early as you can to give your credit score time to resettle.

To increase your chances of success you could also consider:

• Boosting your income to reduce DTI ratios and increase your disposable income
• Making just large enough payments on your credit cards to bring down your credit utilisation rate to acceptable levels
• Checking your credit file for any errors that could be impacting your credit score
• Offering a higher deposit

Can you remortgage with credit card debt?

Yes, absolutely. All of the same factors apply as if you were applying for a mortgage for a new property – lenders will still want to assess affordability, DTI ratio, credit utilisation and credit scores. If you have credit card debt that you want to consolidate into your remortgage this may also be possible. Ask your broker for advice on this.

Get matched with a broker specialising in mortgages with credit card debt

The safest way to apply for a mortgage with credit card debt is to use a broker who specialises in these types of mortgages. They will be able to help you get in the strongest possible position before you start and then find you the best deal at the best rates.

Use our free broker-matching service and we’ll quickly assess your needs and pair you with a specialist broker who understands your circumstances.

Call 0808 189 0463 or make an enquiry and we’ll set up a free, no-obligation chat between you and an expert advisor today.