IVA & Bankruptcy Mortgages: Your Path to Homeownership After Insolvency
Yes — a mortgage after an IVA or bankruptcy is achievable. Most specialist lenders want to see one to three years since discharge for bankruptcy, or a completed and satisfied IVA, alongside a 15-25% deposit and clean credit since.
Get Your Free IVA & Bankruptcy Mortgage AssessmentAn Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) is a formal agreement with creditors to repay debts over a fixed period, usually five to six years, with any remainder written off at the end. Bankruptcy typically lasts around a year before discharge, though both remain on your credit file for six years from registration.
Life after an IVA or bankruptcy doesn’t mean giving up on homeownership. Specialist lenders in this space understand that insolvency is often driven by a specific, one-off event — a business failure, illness, a relationship breakdown — rather than ongoing financial mismanagement, and they assess applications with that context in mind.
What matters most is what’s happened since: a clean payment record, stable income, and a deposit that reflects the level of risk the lender is taking on. We know exactly which lenders will consider your case at each stage of recovery.
What Lenders Look At
Time since completion
You can typically apply once your IVA is completed — usually after five to six years — or one to three years after a bankruptcy discharge, depending on the lender.
Clean payment history
A clean credit record in the years following your IVA or bankruptcy is one of the strongest signals of recovery a lender can see.
Deposit requirements
Expect to need 15-25% in the early years after insolvency, often reducing as more time passes since the event.
Specialist lenders
This is a genuinely specialist niche — very few high-street lenders will consider an application at all, so broker access to the right panel matters enormously.
IVA & Bankruptcy Mortgages FAQs
Can I get a mortgage while still in an IVA?
Very rarely. Most lenders wait until the IVA is fully completed, though a small number of specialist lenders will consider an application in its final stages.
How long does bankruptcy stay on my credit file?
Six years from the date of the bankruptcy order, even though discharge (the point restrictions lift) usually happens after around one year.
Will my interest rate be higher?
Likely, at least initially — specialist lenders price for the perceived risk. Many borrowers remortgage onto a more competitive deal once more time has passed.
Does the six-year clock start at discharge or at the insolvency event?
At the insolvency event itself, not discharge. If your bankruptcy was registered five years ago and you were discharged after one year, you may be only a year away from the entry dropping off your file entirely.
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