Getting a Mortgage After Missed Credit Card Payments
If you’ve missed a few credit card payments, it’s easy to worry that getting a mortgage is no longer possible. But the truth is, you can still get a mortgage after missed credit card payments — even if they’ve affected your credit score.
At Mortgage Bridge, we help people every week who’ve had late or missed payments recover their financial standing and successfully secure a mortgage. It’s all about understanding how lenders view these issues, what steps to take, and which options are open to you.
How Do Missed Credit Card Payments Affect Mortgage Applications?
When you apply for a mortgage, lenders check your credit report to assess how you manage money. A missed payment is a red flag, but the impact depends on how many payments were missed, how recent they were, and whether you’ve caught up since.
Here’s what lenders usually see:
- 1 missed payment: A minor issue if you’ve since caught up — most lenders overlook this.
- 2–3 consecutive missed payments: More serious, may trigger a “default” if unresolved.
- Older missed payments (12+ months ago): Have far less impact than recent ones.
Lenders are mainly looking for patterns. Occasional mistakes can often be explained, but repeated late or missed payments suggest risk.
Can You Get a Mortgage After Missed Credit Card Payments?
Yes — many people do.
Having missed credit card payments doesn’t automatically mean rejection. Specialist lenders, and even some high-street banks, regularly approve applicants who’ve had one or more late payments, as long as the rest of the application looks strong.
You’ll typically have three key paths:
- Mainstream lenders: Possible if your missed payments were isolated or over a year ago.
- Specialist lenders: Designed for applicants with recent or multiple missed payments.
- Adverse credit products: Higher deposit requirements but more flexible criteria.
We’ve seen clients get approved for a mortgage within six months of catching up on missed payments — especially when their credit behaviour has been positive since.
How Long Do Missed Payments Stay on Your Credit File?
Missed or late payments stay visible for six years from the date they were recorded. However, their influence fades over time, especially if your account is now up to date and you’ve made consistent on-time payments since.
Lenders are far more concerned with what’s happening now than with isolated issues from years ago. Keeping your record clean for the 12 months before your mortgage application is the best way to rebuild confidence.
What If Your Missed Payments Led to a Default?
If your missed payments went unresolved long enough to result in a default, the situation is slightly more serious — but still not hopeless.
Defaults can reduce the pool of lenders available, but specialist lenders often consider applicants if:
- The default was over a year ago.
- It’s now marked as “satisfied” or “settled.”
- You’ve shown consistent payments since.
We cover this in more detail in our guide on How to Rebuild Your Credit Score After a Default.
How Lenders Assess Missed Credit Card Payments
When assessing a mortgage after missed credit card payments, lenders will look at:
- When the missed payments occurred. Recent issues matter more than older ones.
- The cause. Temporary hardship (like illness or job loss) is often viewed sympathetically.
- What’s happened since. If you’ve improved your financial management, that carries real weight.
- Overall affordability. Even with past issues, strong income and manageable debts can offset concerns.
They’ll also check your debt-to-income ratio, which compares your total monthly debt payments to your income. Keeping this ratio below 40% helps demonstrate affordability.
How to Improve Your Mortgage Chances After Missed Payments
You can take several simple steps to rebuild confidence and prepare for approval:
1. Catch Up and Stay Up to Date
Bring any late accounts current and set up direct debits to avoid future missed payments. Consistency is key.
2. Check Your Credit Reports
Review all three credit reference agencies — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion — for errors or outdated information. Correcting mistakes can instantly help.
3. Keep Credit Usage Low
Try to use less than 30% of your available credit limit across all cards. This improves your utilisation score and shows restraint.
4. Avoid Applying for New Credit
Multiple applications within a short time create additional credit checks and can make lenders cautious.
5. Build Positive History
Use a credit builder card or small loan responsibly to prove you’re managing credit well again. Pay off the balance in full each month.
6. Work With a Specialist Broker
A mortgage adviser experienced with credit challenges — like Mortgage Bridge — can match you with lenders that already understand your situation, saving time and avoiding unnecessary declines.
Does Paying Off Credit Cards Help Mortgage Approval?
In most cases, yes — reducing balances helps both your credit score and affordability.
Lenders will include your minimum credit card payments as part of your regular expenses, so the less you owe, the stronger your borrowing capacity.
However, you don’t need to close accounts after paying them off. Keeping them open with zero or low balances can improve your credit utilisation ratio and maintain a longer credit history.
We explore this further in our related guide: Does Paying Off Debt Improve Your Mortgage Chances?
How Many Missed Payments Is Too Many for a Mortgage?
There’s no fixed number — it depends on the lender and how recent the issues are.
As a general rule:
| Situation | Typical Mortgage Options |
|---|---|
| 1–2 missed payments, over 12 months ago | High-street lenders often fine |
| 2–4 missed payments, 6–12 months ago | Specialist lenders likely needed |
| More than 4 missed payments, or recent | May need to wait or rebuild for 6–12 months |
With a larger deposit (15–25%) or strong income, you may still qualify sooner.
How Long Should You Wait After Missed Payments Before Applying?
If your missed payments were recent, it’s usually best to wait at least 3–6 months of consistent, on-time payments before applying. This helps show lenders that the issue has been resolved.
During that time, focus on:
- Keeping all bills current.
- Reducing overall debt.
- Avoiding new credit applications.
- Building savings for your deposit.
When we review your credit profile, we’ll help identify the ideal timing for your application to maximise your approval chances.
Example: From Missed Payments to Mortgage Approval
A recent Mortgage Bridge client had three missed credit card payments after a period of redundancy. Their credit file showed “late” but not “defaulted.”
After six months of stable employment and on-time repayments, we helped them secure a mortgage with a specialist lender offering a competitive fixed rate.
By explaining the reason behind the missed payments and demonstrating consistent financial recovery, we turned a potential “no” into an approval.
How Mortgage Bridge Can Help
At Mortgage Bridge, we specialise in helping clients who’ve had missed or late payments find their way back to mortgage approval.
We’ll:
- Review your full credit report to identify what lenders will see.
- Explain which lenders are most open to your situation.
- Help you prepare your finances and improve your credit profile.
- Guide you through the application process from start to finish.
Your past mistakes don’t define your future — and we’re here to help you move forward confidently.
If you’ve missed payments and want to know what’s possible, let’s explore your options together.
Suggested Internal Links
- Does Paying Off Debt Improve Your Mortgage Chances? – Learn when debt reduction helps and when it doesn’t.
- How to Rebuild Your Credit Score After a Default – Step-by-step guide to repairing your credit profile.
- Can You Get a Mortgage with Multiple Credit Cards? – Understand how lenders assess card debt.
Suggested External Resources
- MoneyHelper guide on missed payments and credit reports
- Experian resource on how late payments affect credit scores