This article will look at your options when trying to get a Mortgage post bankruptcy in 2026. This is an updated version of an article we wrote last year. Criteria has not changed significantly but rate, although some lenders have made tweaks and improvements so we will look at whether that has changed anything. But interest rates have been on a downward trend so that should be where we start to see a bigger difference.
Clean credit report v Adverse credit report
I understand you might be thinking how can you have a clean credit report if you have been made bankrupt. But from experience it does happen. A prime example here would be someone who had no real debt but a Tax bill went unpaid and ultimately resulted in someone being made bankrupt. In those cases their credit report would be very clean bar the insolvency.
Another example could be if the debts placed into the bankruptcy do not appear on the credit report. There are 3 credit agencies:
- Equifax,
- Experian,
- Transunion.
There are occasions where some debts do not appear on one or more credit reports. This can mean if you only have a small number of debts wrapped up into the bankruptcy, if one or more are not showing you can get lucky.
It is rare that people who have gone bankrupt have a clean credit report and so I imagine 90% of people who read this will fall into the “adverse showing” category, but there is no harm in providing both options.
I have put together below a table to look at how your options can differ at various anniversaries of being discharged and also how you credit report appears.
| Correct as of 06/01/26 | Clean credit report | Adverse showing | ||
| Discharge Period | Maximum LTV | Rates | Maximum LTV | Rates |
| 1 day | 70% | 6.39% | 70% | 6.39% |
| 1 year | 70% | 6.39% | 70% | 6.39% |
| 2 years | 70% | 6.39% | 70% | 6.39% |
| 3 years | 95% | 4.58% | 95% | 4.69% |
| 4 years | 95% | 4.58% | 95% | 4.69% |
| 5 years | 95% | 4.58% | 95% | 4.69% |
| 6 years | 95% | 4.58% | 95% | 4.65% |
A coupe of things to mention:
- Under 3 years discharged, the maximum LTV is 70%.
- 3 years and over discharged, the maximum LTV is 95%.
- There may be lower rates than listed. I have only looked at the maximum LTVs, if you are are looking at 60% LTV for example then rates may be lower.
Summary
My view on this table is that it can be split in to 3 sections:
- Under 3 years discharged – LTVs and rates are the same regardless of your credit report.
- 3 years+ discharged – clean credit report.
- 3 years+ discharged – adverse credit report.
The difference between 2 and 3 is not as high as it was last time but there is still a small gap. Which shows your credit report can make a difference to the products available.
Under 3 years discharged
If we look at people who have been discharged for less than 3 years this is where as you can see from the table above that LTVs are lower and rates are higher.
This means that despite a larger deposit being put down (30%), the rates will be higher.
Assuming you are in a position to proceed at this point, the options available may be dictate how you move forward. For example if you are coming up to 3 years discharged you might be sat there thinking it is best to hold off until the 3 years are up – and I would generally agree with that.
If you are only 6 months discharged, then your decision might be a little tougher. Do you pay the higher rate and crack on or do you hold off until you can secure something more mainstream? That will come down to your circumstances. Chances are it will come down to whether you are paying rent elsewhere or not or if you can put up with a few more years of mum and dad haha.
We are not here to push you in one direction or the other with regards to this. We will tell you what we can do and then ultimately the decision is yours and you might wish to run it past friends or family which we are fully in support of.
3 years or more discharged
This is where I think the good news kicks in.
If your credit report is looking quite healthy, then you are probably sat there thinking those rates are basically normal high street rates and you are right. They may not be market leading, but they are certainly in the realms of “normal”.
But even looking at worst case scenario, the rates are well within 0.25% of the high street. In addition to that we are also back up to 95% LTV lending too, which means you can potentially get away with a much smaller deposit once you hit the third anniversary of your bankruptcy ending.
How can we help?
At Mortgage Success we specialise in bad credit. That means we know the market well. We know the adverse lenders, we know the little regional building societies who will take a look at you but also we know the high street lenders who can be flexible.
After 13 years of doing this we have a lot of experience under our belt.
But I think that brings all of that together is that we are a small family run firm. We buy into you as a client, we understand that the chances are you have been through a rough period, its rare people go through bankruptcy and come out of it unscathed.
Lets have a chat, lets understand the situation and lets tell you what we can do to get you looking ahead again.