An IVA normally drops off your credit file 6 years after it started, whether it completed successfully or was terminated. Once that has happened, lenders checking your credit report generally will not see it, and many people find far more lenders are willing to consider them. Some mortgage application forms still ask whether you have ever had an IVA, separately from what shows on your credit file, so it is worth being ready to answer honestly.
This page is for IVAs old enough to have left the credit file. If yours completed more recently, see remortgaging after a completed IVA, and if it did not run to completion, see remortgaging after a failed IVA.
On this page
This page covers
- Credit issue
- Individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs)Usually stays on your credit file for 6 years from the start date.
- When it happened
- More than 6 years agoMost issues drop off your credit file after 6 years, though some applications ask whether you have ever had one.
In short
- An IVA normally drops off your credit file 6 years after its start date, whatever happened afterwards.
- Some application forms ask if you have ever had an IVA, not just whether it is current.
- Defaults on accounts included in the IVA follow their own 6-year clock from the default date.
- If your IVA still shows after 6 years, you can ask for it to be corrected.
Does an IVA still affect a mortgage once it is over 6 years old?
For most people, no, at least not through the credit file itself. Once 6 years have passed since the IVA started, it should no longer appear on your report from Experian, Equifax or TransUnion, and a lender checking your file will not see it there.
Two things can still bring an old IVA back into the conversation: an application form that asks whether you have ever had one, and any related entries, such as defaults, that have their own separate 6-year clock and may still be showing.
What should have cleared from your file by now?
| Item | Usual position after 6 years |
|---|---|
| The IVA entry itself | Should have dropped off your credit file |
| Insolvency Register listing | Removed 3 months after the IVA ended, so long gone by this point |
| Defaults on accounts included in the IVA | Follow their own 6-year rule from each default date, which may be earlier or later than the IVA’s start date |
| Any CCJs from before or after the IVA | Also run on their own 6-year clock from the judgment date, separately from the IVA |
For illustration only. Check your own credit reports rather than assuming every entry has cleared at the same time.
Do you have to declare an old IVA on a mortgage application?
Some lenders and brokers ask a direct question such as whether you have ever had an IVA, bankruptcy or trust deed, regardless of when it happened. If a form asks this, answer honestly, even if the IVA no longer shows on your credit file. Our guide on declaring an IVA on a mortgage application goes through this in more detail.
Being upfront rarely causes a problem once an IVA is this old, and it avoids the risk of an application being declined later for inconsistent information.
What if your old IVA still shows on your file?
Mistakes happen, and an IVA occasionally remains visible past 6 years because of an incorrect start date or a reporting error. If you check your statutory credit reports and find this, contact the credit reference agency and ask for it to be corrected or removed.
Experian, Equifax and TransUnion each hold their own version of your file, and an error on one does not mean the others are wrong too. Check all three before you apply, using your free statutory reports.
What matters most once your IVA has dropped off?
At this stage, lenders tend to focus on your current situation rather than history that has cleared. Your mortgage payment record since the IVA, your income and outgoings, and your loan to value usually carry far more weight than an arrangement that ended years ago.
If self-employed, see self-employed bad credit remortgages for how income is usually assessed. If any credit issues have arisen since the IVA, our pages on defaults and missed payments explain how those are generally looked at.
What may affect a remortgage once an old IVA has dropped off
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Whether the IVA has actually cleared | Confirm this on your credit reports rather than assuming, as errors do occasionally happen. |
| Declaration questions on application forms | Some forms ask if you have ever had an IVA, separately from what shows on your file. |
| Related entries still on file | Defaults or CCJs linked to the IVA period run on their own 6-year clocks and may show for longer or shorter than the IVA itself. |
| Mortgage payment history since | A long, clean record since the IVA is one of the strongest points in your favour. |
| Any credit issues since the IVA | New problems are likely to matter far more than an old, cleared IVA. |
| Income and affordability | Current income and outgoings are assessed as they would be for anyone else applying. |
| Loan to value | A lower LTV generally widens your choice of lenders, regardless of past credit history. |
| Employment type | Self-employed applicants are usually assessed on recent accounts or tax calculations, not historical ones from the IVA years. |
These are general points, not lender rules. Each lender sets and changes its own criteria.
Information an adviser may ask for
You don’t need all of this to make an enquiry. It helps to know where to find it, because an adviser is likely to ask about most of it.
- Your best estimate of the IVA’s start date
- Current credit reports from Experian, Equifax and TransUnion
- Details of any related entries still showing, such as defaults or CCJs
- Your mortgage payment history since the IVA
- Proof of income and a summary of your outgoings
- An estimate of your property’s value
Frequently asked questions
Will lenders still ask about my IVA once it has dropped off my credit file?
They may still ask a direct question about ever having had an IVA, even though your file no longer shows it. Answer honestly. Once it has been several years, most lenders focus far more on your current record than on an old, resolved arrangement.
Does it matter whether my old IVA completed or failed, now that 6 years have passed?
For the credit file, both drop off 6 years from the start date regardless. What can still matter is whether a failed IVA led to further debts, defaults or a bankruptcy, since those may have their own, separate entries that have not yet cleared.
Can I get a completely clean mortgage application now my IVA has gone?
It is common for people to have a clear file at this point, but check for anything else that may still be showing, such as older defaults with a later default date, before assuming everything has cleared.
I do not know the exact start date of my old IVA. What should I do?
Check your credit reports, which usually record it, or contact the insolvency practitioner’s firm that managed it if you can trace them. An approximate date is a starting point, but an exact one helps confirm whether it should still be showing.
Can old debts from my IVA become enforceable again after 6 years?
This depends on whether the IVA completed, which normally deals with the included debts under its terms, or failed, which can leave debts outstanding. It is a separate question from what shows on your credit file. If you are unsure, a free debt adviser can help you check.