Be aware of who is credit searching you, and when.

Be aware of who is credit searching you, and when.

We have had a few customers contact us for a mortgage who have been totally unaware that they have had a number of credit searches carried out following recent searches for competitive renewal quotes on their home or car insurance via Comparison Websites.   I’m sure it will be stated somewhere in the small print, but the customers have researched a number of comparison sites and ended up with a similar number of credit searches on their profile.  This, in a small amount of time can have a marked effect on your credit score, and as such, affect your ability to obtain finance, so always read the small print and be aware!  
With this in mind, lenders will look closely at an individual’s recent payment profile, how many recent credit searches have been incurred by financial institutions and more.  The more credit searches you have on your profile, over a recent amount of time, the more likely your credit score will be lower as a result. Try and ensure there are no missed or late payments as these will also decrease your credit score.  In short, your credit search / score is the basis on which most lenders will initially decide whether to lend to you or not.  If you’ve not checked your credit file before, it is well worth a review. Experian, Equifax and Noddle tend to be the main providers used in our market with some offering free initial trials.
Finally, we are seeing a lot of first time buyers turn to the bank of Grandma and Grandad as the bank of Mum and Dad appears to be running a little dry!  There are various ways in which the older generation are helping the first timers.  Some are gifting deposits to help those get on the property ladder.  With most products, the larger the deposit, the lower the interest rate.  Others have agreed to the placement of a collateral charge on the parents or grandparent’s property. This gives a lender more security and maybe a better credit risk rational to the deal, than originally might have been the case.  In some cases, the parents have joined in to provide additional income support and bolster the overall application.  Whichever way required, always explore the options and have a conversation with a professional as there may just be an alternative way to do the deal.