Bad / Adverse Credit mortgage brokers in Aberdeen
1 independent, FCA-authorised adviser covering Aberdeen and the wider Scotland area who handle bad-credit mortgage cases. Contact them directly — we never sell your details.
Bad / Adverse Credit mortgages in Aberdeen: what to know
Adverse credit covers everything from a couple of missed payments to defaults, county court judgments, an IVA or a discharged bankruptcy. It very rarely makes a mortgage impossible; it changes which lenders will consider you and at what rate. Specialist lenders price on the severity and, crucially, the age of the event. For borrowers in Aberdeen, the single most useful step is getting an accurate picture of what is actually on your credit file before any application is submitted.
- Recency matters more than severity. A default from four years ago is often treated far more leniently than a missed payment from three months ago.
- Applying speculatively causes real harm. Each declined full application leaves a hard search, and a cluster of them makes the next lender more cautious.
- Check all three credit reference agencies — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion — because lenders use different ones and the files frequently disagree.
- Specialist lenders usually require a larger deposit, often 10–25% depending on the adverse, and price above high-street rates. Many borrowers remortgage to a mainstream lender once the adverse ages out.
What matters locally in Aberdeen
The city's characteristic granite tenements and terraces run through the West End, Rosemount and Ferryhill, with the West End holding the larger period houses. Suburbs such as Cults, Bieldside and Milltimber sit at the higher-value end, while Torry, Northfield and Mastrick are considerably more affordable. Aberdeenshire commuter towns draw families out of the city. The Scottish process applies throughout — Home Report, offers, conclusion of missives — though offers over is less universal here than in Edinburgh, and fixed-price marketing is more common.
- Offshore and rotational income, where lenders differ on how they annualise pay based on a two-weeks-on rota and whether they count offshore allowances.
- Day-rate contractors in the energy supply chain, where the right lender will assess the contract rate rather than the limited company accounts.
Are the mortgage brokers listed in Aberdeen FCA-authorised?
MortgageMatch lists FCA-authorised mortgage brokers and advisers. Before taking advice, check the adviser and the firm on the Financial Services Register, confirm what they charge and ask how many lenders they can access. We do not sell your details to lead buyers — you contact the adviser directly.
Questions worth asking a bad / adverse credit broker
- Can I get a mortgage with a default or CCJ in Aberdeen?
- Usually yes. Many specialist lenders will consider satisfied defaults and CCJs, and some will consider unsatisfied ones with a larger deposit. The age of the entry, the amount, and whether it is satisfied all affect which lenders will look at it.
- How long does adverse credit stay on my file?
- Defaults, CCJs, IVAs and bankruptcies stay on your credit file for six years from the date they were registered. Lender attitudes soften considerably well before that — often after two to three years.
- Will a bad-credit mortgage cost more?
- Typically yes, both in rate and often in fees, because you are borrowing from a specialist rather than a high-street lender. The gap narrows as the adverse ages, which is why many borrowers plan to remortgage once they qualify for mainstream criteria.
- Should I wait until my credit improves before applying?
- Sometimes waiting a few months materially improves your options, particularly if an adverse entry is about to pass a lender threshold. A broker can tell you whether waiting would genuinely change the outcome before you commit either way.