Past credit issues don't have to mean no mortgage.

Not all credit issues are treated equally — not all lenders treat the same issue the same way either. A single missed phone bill payment three years ago is a very different case from a recent CCJ or an active debt management plan — and mainstream high-street lenders, specialist adverse-credit lenders and near-prime lenders each set their own criteria for what they’ll accept, over what timeframe and at what deposit and rate.

Generally, the more recent and more severe the issue, the more it narrows your options — but “narrows” rarely means “removes entirely”. Deposit requirements are often higher and rates typically reflect the additional risk a lender is taking on, which is why getting matched to the right lender the first time matters — multiple declined applications can themselves affect your credit file and make the picture worse.