Does an IVA Affect Your Credit Score?

An IVA is a legal agreement between you and the companies you owe money to and is a way for you to settle bad credit. It allows you to repay your debts over an agreed period, usually around 5 - 6 years.

How much debt you can write off will depend on your situation. If you can afford to, you may be required to release any equity you have in your home. Your IVA will be arranged by an insolvency practitioner who's a legal professional and will agree to a payment plan with your creditors which considers your circumstances and how much you can afford to repay.

IVAs can be used to repay debts from:

• Credit cards and store cards
• Personal loans
• HMRC
• Bank overdrafts
• Council Tax arrears
• Hire purchase debts.

Entering into an IVA can stop your debts from spiralling due to interest and provides a clear timeline for when you'll repay the debt. Your debts will be frozen, and no further interest will accumulate. An IVA can allow you to keep your home and help avoid further action from your creditors against you, including forcing you into bankruptcy. When the IVA finishes, you'll no longer have financial commitments to your creditors. Your IVA will show on your credit report and lower your credit score.

Entering an IVA will not damage your partner's credit score. However, the exception is if you share finances with them, such as a joint bank account or a credit agreement under both your names. The IVA – even if it’s for a debt that’s solely your own - will damage your credit score and this poor credit score could then impact your partner’s credit score. To avoid any financial associations affecting your partner's credit rating, you should close joint accounts and remove your name from all shared financial agreements before starting your IVA.

It’s important to point out that your bad credit will impact the joint mortgage options available to you and your partner.

Your address is not associated with your financial position, so your IVA won't affect anyone you live with, including their credit score. But it's still a good idea to ensure that you have no financial links with the people you live with, as these could be considered a financial association. Be sure to sever all financial ties with everyone at your address if they aren't directly involved in your financial situation if you have an IVA. This means avoiding opening a joint bank account with your housemates for paying bills, as this could adversely affect everyone on the account. However, don't worry if you are named alongside others on your utility bills or tenancy agreement, as this shouldn't be a problem.

The good news is that after your IVA ends, you should start to see an improvement in your credit score. Once you've made your last payment and your IVA is completed, your insolvency practitioner will give you a certificate of completion and inform your creditors. The Insolvency Service will also be notified and remove your details from the Insolvency Register. You'll need to update credit reference agencies to let them know your IVA has been completed. Your credit score after an IVA should steadily improve. Essentially, the more time has passed since your IVA, the less of an impact it will have on your credit score. As soon as your IVA is marked as complete, your credit report will immediately start to look better, and after 6 years, the IVA will be removed from your credit report.

Whenever you apply for credit, creditors will check your credit report and will be able to see that you're in an IVA. But while getting credit while you're still in an IVA is not impossible, it's not easy. Lenders will want to see how you manage your money after your IVA. If you've made all your repayments on time and in full and have not had any other credit issues, some creditors may be willing to consider you, depending on how much you want to borrow and where you are in your IVA journey.

It's common for IVAs to have a clause in the agreement that says you cannot get credit over £500 during your IVA without consent from your IVA supervisor. If you decide to get credit without your IVA supervisor's approval, you'll have breached your IVA's terms and conditions, which could lead to it failing. You may be able to get permission to get credit in some circumstances, such as to remortgage if your fixed rate term is coming to an end. However, your supervisor will want to ensure that this credit won't negatively impact your IVA and your capacity to make your agreed IVA monthly payments.

It's always best with any credit application, especially a mortgage, to be as honest as possible and declare your IVA. Even if the IVA has come off your credit file when you apply for a mortgage, most lenders will want to know if you've had any earlier credit issues. Being upfront will save you time and money in the long run. If you fail to let your lender know and they find out, you could be refused a mortgage, even after paying fees.

Once you've had an IVA, you'll likely find that the pool of mortgage lenders and products you can access is smaller. Lenders will likely require you to pay a higher interest rate or put down a larger deposit to lower the risk to the lender.

The longer it’s been since your IVA, the more lenders and the better the deals available to you.

While you are in an IVA, there will be certain restrictions on your home, which will be outlined in your agreement. Check the terms of your agreement to see what specific restrictions it has on your property. Normally, you cannot remortgage while in an IVA. When you have 6 months left of your IVA, your insolvency practitioner will send you the terms of your agreement to review. They'll also ask your mortgage lender to provide a statement of how much is left on your mortgage and will conduct a property valuation.

Pay Off IVA with Debt Consolidation Mortgage

You may consider your options for remortgaging early as a way to consolidate your debt and pay off your IVA, but this isn’t usually advised. The rates you would likely have access to would be extortionate so consolidating wouldn’t be worthwhile. It’s best to pay off your IVA and work on improving your score if you can before applying for a mortgage.

An IVA is a severe form of bad credit that can have serious implications for your credit score and hinder your ability to get any form of credit, from a mobile phone contract to a mortgage, for several years. However, when an IVA is managed well, it can help stop your debt from spiralling and enable you to get your finances back on track.

If you're in an IVA or have completed one and are looking for a mortgage, we recommend you speak to a reputable independent specialist mortgage broker like John Charcol. We'll use our extensive market knowledge to find the right lender and mortgage product for your circumstances. Get in touch with us today on 0330 433 2927 to learn more about how we can help.