It will be difficult to get a mortgage if you are in a Debt Management Plan. However there are some circumstances where it may be possible.

In this article:

• Is it possible to get a Mortgage during your Plan?
• What if you want to move home?
• What if you are a First Time Buyer
• Would it be better to wait until your Plan is over?

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Is it possible to get a Mortgage during a Debt Management Plan?

If you start a DMP you are agreeing to pay less than the contracted minimum monthly payments to your creditors. As a result they will normally issue a default notice against you. This default will be recorded on your credit file and make your credit rating worse.

The fact that default notices are registered against your file will generally prevent you from taking more unsecured credit until your debts are repaid first. However it may still be possible to get a mortgage.

What if you want to Moving Home during your Debt Management Plan?

If you already have a property you may want to move or release equity from your home to pay off your debt. Because a mortgage is secured against a house, some mortgage companies are more willing to risk lending to people who have a poor credit rating. They will offer what is known as an adverse mortgage.

There are adverse mortgage lenders who will consider lending to you. However, you must be prepared for the fact that most of these lenders will not let you borrow more than 75% of the value of the property.

This ceiling on borrowing is designed to protect the mortgage lender against future falls in the price of your house where they are forced to repossess the property if you do not keep up your payments.

First time buyers

If you are in a DMP and are looking into buying your first home, again this is possible with an adverse mortgage. However, there are a couple of things to be aware of.

Firstly you will need a sizable deposit. In today’s mortgage market, first time buyers will generally need a deposit of 20% of the property’s value. If you are in a DMP and struggling financially, this size of deposit you require could be nearer 30%.

Secondly, you need to plan very carefully for the ongoing cost of living in your own house. When reviewing your budget, there will be new costs which did not exist when you were renting such as building’s insurance, maintenance and repairs.

If you are already trying to repay debt, the last thing you should do is take on a mortgage only to find that you can no longer pay your debt management plan because your living expenses have increased.

BMD Tip: The reality of today’s mortgage market is such that getting a new mortgage even through an adverse lender will be extremely difficult if you are on a DMP. As such it may well be advisable to consider resolving your debt problem first and allowing time for your credit rating to improve before trying to get in to the property market.