What is a...

Mortgage

A Mortgage is a large secured loan usually taken out to help purchase a property. The most common mortgages are ‘Capital and Interest Mortgages’ (also known as Repayment Mortgages), which means you pay back the amount owed as well as interest, over an extended period.

How do I check my mortgage history?

Providing your lender is sharing your mortgage account with the Credit Reference Agencies, it will appear on your Credit Report. You’ll see the lender’s name, outstanding balance, account status, and more.

There’s no guarantee which Credit Reference Agencies your lender will report to (or check information with), so it’s best to check your information held at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion to be sure you haven’t missed anything important.

checkmyfile makes this process a breeze. Our Multi Agency Credit Report will collect your data from all UK Credit Reference Agencies so you can see it all in the same, easy-to-use format.

You can try checkmyfile free for 30 days, and then for £14.99 per month. Cancel online at any time.

What credit score do I need to get a mortgage?

There is no set score that will guarantee you a successful mortgage application. This is because every mortgage lender will have unique creditworthiness and affordability criteria they need borrowers to meet when assessing applications.

It’s worth noting that lenders will not have access to any Credit Scores that you receive online. Instead, they will use the data found on your Credit Report to determine how reliable a borrower you are likely to be. For this reason, it’s a good idea to dig into your Credit Report so you know what information a mortgage lender will see during an application.

You can see this information for yourself by checking your Credit Report with checkmyfile.

How does having a mortgage affect my Credit Report?

In general, as long as all mortgage payments are made on time and in full, you can expect the mortgage to count as a positive on your Credit Report. Lenders will be able to see that you have managed your mortgage well, so it will help represent you as a reliable borrower.

It’s important to note though, that any missed payments may damage your overall Credit Rating, even more so than other types of accounts.

As with any credit agreements, missing payments on your mortgage can hurt your Credit Rating. Additionally, as mortgages are significant credit agreements, any positive or negative markers will have a greater impact than usual.

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