A guide to IVAs and mortgages

It’s unlikely you’ll be able to a get a new mortgage while you’re on an IVA. You won’t be able to take out more than £500 of credit without written approval from the company managing your IVA. It will also be difficult to find a lender who is prepared to give you a mortgage.

Your existing mortgage won’t be included in your IVA. This means you’ll need to carry on making your payments as normal. There should be money in your agreed budget to allow for this.

Your mortgage payments may change during your IVA e.g. if interest rates go up. If this happens, just let the company managing your IVA know and they’ll look into getting your IVA payments adjusted.

An IVA stays on your credit file for six years from the date it was agreed or until it completes (if that’s longer than six years). While you have an IVA on your credit report, you’ll probably struggle to get a mortgage. There are specialist lenders who will consider your application, but this is likely to be an expensive option.

Once the IVA drops off your credit report, it may still be hard to get a mortgage. You will need to build up your credit score before most lenders will consider lending large sums to you. Once your IVA has finished, it’s probably a good idea to focus on improving your credit score before you think about taking out a mortgage.

Boosting your credit rating will take time, but there are certain steps you can take to get the process moving:

• check you’re on the electoral register
• make sure all the information on your credit file is correct
• borrow small amounts from companies that specialise in lending to people trying to rebuild their credit rating 
• always make your repayments on time and in full to show potential lenders that you’re a low-risk customer 

If you’re a homeowner, you may need to remortgage to release money to be paid into your IVA. This is usually the case if there’s more than £5,000 of equity in your home. Equity is how much money you’d make from selling your home after paying off your mortgage.

If you’re unable to remortgage, you’ll need to continue making your IVA payments for up to another 12 months. This means your individual voluntary arrangement is likely to last six years instead of five.