Can I still get a mortgage if my company goes bust?

Getting a mortgage after company failure is possible but significantly more difficult, depending on the specific circumstances of the insolvency and your personal financial situation. Mortgage lenders assess creditworthiness based on income stability, credit history, existing debts, and perceived risk. If your company enters liquidation or administration but you weren't personally liable for debts and your personal credit record remains clean, the impact may be limited—lenders focus more on your personal financial position than on companies you've been associated with. However, several factors can severely impact mortgage prospects. If you've been declared personally bankrupt due to personal guarantees or director liability, most mainstream lenders won't consider you for a mortgage until the bankruptcy is discharged (typically after 12 months) and even then many will decline applications for several years after discharge. If County Court Judgments (CCJs) have been issued against you personally, these remain on credit files for six years and will be seen by mortgage lenders, making approval much harder and more expensive. If you've defaulted on personal loans or credit cards due to business failure, this damages credit scores and mortgage prospects significantly. If you've been disqualified as a director, while this doesn't directly affect mortgage applications, the circumstances that led to disqualification (often involving financial misconduct) frequently correlate with poor personal credit. The impact on mortgage applications also depends on your post-failure financial situation: Do you have stable employment or income from a new business? Can you demonstrate regular income history over several months? Do you have a deposit—bearing in mind that saving a deposit may be extremely difficult if you've lost significant personal wealth in business failure? Have you rebuilt your credit score through responsible management of any remaining credit facilities? Some specialist lenders work with applicants who have adverse credit histories including business failures, but these mortgages typically require larger deposits (often 25-40% vs. the standard 10-15%), carry significantly higher interest rates, and have stricter terms. The timeframe matters too—applying for a mortgage immediately after company collapse when finances are chaotic is very different from applying three years later when you've rebuilt income stability and credit history. Many mortgage advisers suggest waiting at least 2-3 years after business failure before applying, using that time to rebuild credit scores, accumulate savings for a larger deposit, and establish stable income. If you have personal guarantees that haven't yet been enforced, unresolved director liability claims, or ongoing insolvency proceedings, mortgage applications will almost certainly be declined because your financial liabilities are uncertain. Lenders want clarity and stability, not applicants who might face sudden major debt enforcement. Being honest with mortgage brokers about your situation is essential—specialist brokers who work with adverse credit cases can guide you better than high-street lenders, and attempting to hide business failures will be discovered during credit checks and lead to automatic decline. If getting a mortgage soon after business failure is critical (for example, if you're at risk of losing your current home), explore all options including guarantors, joint applications with a financially stable partner, or help from family if available. However, be realistic: if business failure has left you with damaged credit, uncertain income, and depleted savings, mortgage approval may simply not be possible until financial stability is reestablished. Focus first on stabilizing income, rebuilding savings, and managing any existing debts responsibly, which will gradually improve mortgage prospects over time.