Getting a mortgage after an IVA: what to expect
Quick answer: Most lenders draw a hard line between an IVA that's still running and one that's finished. While it's active, a mortgage is rarely realistic and usually needs your insolvency practitioner's consent. Once it's completed, the picture opens up gradually — commonly with a larger deposit at first, easing as more time passes since completion. Confusingly, your credit file counts the six years from when the IVA started, but many lenders judge you on how long it's been since it completed — two different clocks that don't line up, and it catches people out. This guide covers what's realistic at each stage, without naming specific lenders or products, since acceptance criteria genuinely vary and change over time.
Active vs completed: the line lenders draw
The single biggest factor in how a lender treats an IVA isn't its size or the number of creditors involved — it's whether it's still open. An active IVA means you're still making payments under a formal arrangement supervised by an insolvency practitioner. A completed IVA means those payments have finished and the arrangement has been formally closed out.
Most lenders treat these as fundamentally different situations. An active IVA signals a committed monthly outgoing that eats into affordability; a completed one signals a difficult period that's been resolved. Most of what follows applies once the IVA has completed, because that's the point at which a realistic mortgage conversation actually starts for most people.
The completion certificate — and why it matters
When an IVA finishes, your insolvency practitioner issues a certificate of completion (sometimes called a certificate of satisfaction). This is the single most useful document you'll have for a mortgage application, and it's worth requesting it as soon as the arrangement ends rather than waiting until you need it.
Two things are worth doing once you have it:
- Check it against your credit file. Contact the credit reference agencies (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion — lenders may check any one) and confirm the IVA is actually marked as completed/satisfied, not still showing as active. Files aren't always updated automatically, and an IVA that still looks active is a considerably worse starting point than one that clearly shows as finished.
- Keep it somewhere accessible. Lenders will generally want to see it as part of the application.
Two clocks, not one — the part people find frustrating
Here's the bit that trips a lot of people up, and it's worth saying plainly: your credit file and a lender's own criteria don't always measure time the same way.
Your credit file counts an IVA for six years from its start date — not from when it completed. If your IVA ran for five years, it might drop off your file within a year of you finishing it. That sounds like good news, and in one sense it is.
But many lenders, when deciding whether to consider you, look at how long it's been since completion, not since the start date on your file. So you can find yourself in a situation where your file is technically clear, or close to it, while a lender's own policy still wants another year or two of clean conduct measured from completion before it'll take you seriously. The two clocks simply don't run together, and nobody warns people about this in advance. It isn't a trick — it's just two different systems measuring two different things — but it's genuinely frustrating after several hard years to learn that finishing the IVA doesn't instantly mean finishing the wait. Knowing this in advance at least means you can plan around the clock that actually matters, rather than the one on your credit file.
Typical deposit patterns
Deposit requirements tend to move in a fairly consistent direction as time passes since completion, though exact figures vary lender to lender and change over time:
- In the early period after completion, a larger deposit is typically expected — often somewhere in the 15–25% range — since it cushions a lender's risk while your history is still recent.
- As more time passes with clean conduct since completion, the deposit needed to unlock a wider range of options tends to fall.
- Once an IVA is both completed and off your credit file, deposits closer to standard levels become realistic with some lenders, though this still depends heavily on your wider circumstances.
None of these are fixed rules — a bigger deposit generally widens choice at every stage, whatever your timeline.
How the picture usually changes at 1, 2 and 3 years after completion
Treat this as a general shape rather than a promise, since individual lender criteria differ and change:
Around 1 year after completion, options are usually the most limited. A small number of specialist lenders may consider an application, generally wanting a larger deposit and an explanation of what changed.
Around 2 years after completion, more lenders tend to open up and deposit expectations often start to soften.
Around 3 years after completion, the picture usually looks meaningfully different again — more lenders, often better terms — and for many people this is where a mortgage stops feeling like a stretch. If your credit file has also cleared by this point, some higher-street, credit-scored lenders may consider you on score alone.
This is a general pattern, not a fixed rule that applies identically to every case — worth checking your own situation rather than assuming a flat "no" or a flat "it'll be fine".
If your IVA is still active: insolvency practitioner consent
If your IVA hasn't completed yet, be aware that most arrangements require your insolvency practitioner's written consent before you take on significant new borrowing — and a mortgage is the largest borrowing most people ever take on. Even where consent is possible, very few lenders will consider an application during an active IVA, and your monthly IVA payment will typically be treated as a committed outgoing that reduces how much you could borrow.
For almost everyone, the practical answer is to let the IVA complete first (we advise on the mortgage, not on the arrangement itself — for questions about your IVA specifically, your insolvency practitioner or a free debt charity such as Citizens Advice, StepChange or National Debtline is the right place to ask) and then plan a mortgage application around the timeline above.
Checking your own credit file first
Before you get close to applying, it's worth checking your own credit file with one or more of the main UK credit reference agencies. It's free and does two useful things: it confirms your IVA is correctly marked as completed rather than still showing as active, and it surfaces anything else you may have forgotten about — an old default, a missed payment from years ago — that could otherwise come as an unwelcome surprise mid-application. Doing this early, before you've found a property you want to buy, gives you time to fix anything straightforward and plan realistically around anything that can't be.
Practical steps
- Request your certificate of completion from your insolvency practitioner as soon as the IVA finishes.
- Check all three credit reference agencies show the IVA as completed, not active.
- Work out how long it's actually been since completion, not just since the start date — this is the clock most lenders care about.
- Build towards the largest deposit you realistically can; it's the single factor most within your control.
- Have a free, no-credit-check conversation with us before applying anywhere — we can talk through your dates and circumstances and give you a realistic sense of where you stand, without it touching your credit file.
FAQ
Can I get a mortgage while I'm still in an IVA?
It's very difficult, and rarely the sensible route. Most IVAs require your insolvency practitioner's written consent before you take on new borrowing of this size, and very few lenders will consider an active arrangement even with consent. Your ongoing IVA payment also counts against you in affordability calculations. Almost everyone is better off waiting until the IVA has completed.
How long after my IVA can I realistically apply?
There's no single answer, but the pattern usually softens noticeably at around 1, 2 and 3 years after completion — not the start date. Many people find both the field of lenders and the deposit they need improve meaningfully by the two-to-three-year mark since completion, though this varies and isn't guaranteed.
Does my IVA have to be fully finished before I apply?
In almost all cases, yes. A handful of lenders may theoretically consider an active IVA with your insolvency practitioner's consent, but this is rare and usually comes with a large deposit. Waiting until completion, and getting your certificate, is the realistic path for the vast majority of applicants.
Once my IVA drops off my credit file, do I still need to declare it?
Often, yes. Even after an IVA is no longer visible on a standard credit search, many application forms ask directly whether you've ever been subject to an insolvency arrangement, and you should answer honestly. Some lenders disregard old, completed IVAs once enough time has passed; others take a firmer line regardless of age — one reason the same history can get different answers from different lenders.
Can we apply jointly if my partner has an IVA and I don't?
Yes, this is possible, though a lender will generally assess the application against both applicants' circumstances, including your partner's IVA and where it sits on the timeline above. A clean history on your side can help, but it doesn't automatically override the other applicant's — each lender weighs joint applications differently, which is worth talking through with us before applying anywhere.
Capital Mortgage Advice opens its full advice service in September 2026 — until then, this guide is for information only, not a recommendation about any specific lender, product or course of action regarding an existing debt. Join the launch list to hear when advice goes live.
General patterns around credit issues and mortgage assessment reflect standard UK consumer credit law and mortgage industry practice, checked August 2026 — no figures or thresholds here are specific to any single lender, and actual acceptance criteria vary and change over time. If you're struggling with debt, free and confidential guidance is available from organisations such as Citizens Advice or StepChange. This guide is information, not financial advice.