Your credit score and getting a mortgage.

What lenders actually see

Your credit report from one or more of the three agencies (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion): every credit account you have, how you have paid it for six years, searches other lenders have made, whether you are on the electoral roll, and any defaults, CCJs or missed payments. The number the apps show you is a guide; the lender's own score is what decides.

The six things to fix

1. Get on the electoral roll at your current address. It is the single easiest win; not being on it makes you look unstable.
2. Check all three reports for mistakes. Wrong addresses, accounts that are not yours, a "missed payment" that was a bank error. Dispute anything wrong.
3. Pay everything on time, every time, for at least 12 months. Set up direct debits for at least the minimum.
4. Get card balances below 30% of the limit. Maxed-out cards look like stress.
5. Stop applying for credit six months out. Each application leaves a search. Several searches in a short time looks desperate.
6. Close old joint accounts with ex-partners. Their behaviour affects your file while you are financially linked.

Things that surprise people

• Buy-now-pay-later now appears on some reports. Treat it like credit.
• Having no credit history at all can be a problem. A card used lightly and paid in full each month builds a record.
• Overdraft use is fine; living in it is not.
• Gambling transactions on bank statements are not on your credit file but underwriters read statements, and regular gambling worries them.

If you have had problems

A missed payment two years ago is usually fine. A default or CCJ in the last three years narrows the field but does not end it; specialist lenders exist and a broker will know them. Bankruptcy or an IVA needs to be discharged and some years behind you. Be upfront with your broker: they find out anyway.

A note on the numbers. Thresholds, schemes and typical costs are correct as far as we know at the time of writing and are for England and Northern Ireland unless we say otherwise. Rules change and lenders differ. Check the current position, and get advice from a qualified broker before you commit.