There is no fixed waiting period after an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) completes before you can remortgage. A small number of specialist lenders may consider an application soon after completion, and choice usually widens as time passes. Nothing is guaranteed, and your IVA still shows on your credit file until 6 years after it started, not when it completed.
This page looks specifically at how time since completion, and the way your IVA ended, tend to shape a remortgage. For the general picture of remortgaging during or after an IVA, see our main IVA page. If your IVA is more than 6 years old and has already dropped off your file, see IVA over 6 years ago.
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.
- Status
- Satisfied or settledSettled issues are generally viewed more favourably than ones still outstanding, though they remain on your file for the full period.
In short
- There is no set waiting period, but choice tends to widen the longer it has been since completion.
- The IVA drops off your credit file 6 years from its start date, whatever your completion date was.
- How the IVA ended, on schedule, early by settlement, or extended, can matter as much as timing.
- Your completion certificate and clean credit reports since are worth having ready.
How soon after an IVA completes can you remortgage?
Some lenders that specialise in adverse credit may consider an application within months of completion, though rates are often higher than high-street rates and the choice of deals is narrower. Others prefer to see a settled period since completion, often looking for a clean record of payments and no new credit problems, since none of this is published as a fixed rule.
Does the time since completion change your options?
| Time since completion | What tends to be true |
|---|---|
| Under 1 year | Choice is usually at its narrowest. A specialist lender or adviser familiar with post-IVA cases is often needed. |
| 1 to 3 years | More lenders may consider you, particularly with a clean record since and reasonable equity. |
| 3 to 6 years | Choice often continues to widen, though the IVA is still visible on your file until 6 years from the start date. |
| Over 6 years from the start date | The IVA has usually dropped off your file. See our page on an IVA over 6 years ago. |
For illustration only, based on general lending patterns rather than fixed rules. Every lender and every case is different.
The 6-year period runs from the start date of the IVA, so a 5-year IVA completed on schedule drops off roughly a year after completion, while a 6-year one may drop off close to completion itself.
Does it matter how your IVA ended?
A completion certificate is the clearest evidence your IVA finished as agreed, whether that was on the original schedule, after an extension, or early through a full and final settlement accepted by your creditors. Lenders and advisers may ask to see it.
An IVA that failed is different again, and is not covered by this page. If yours ended without a completion certificate, see our page on remortgaging after a failed IVA instead.
Your completion certificate, and any letter confirming a settlement was accepted, are worth keeping somewhere safe. An adviser may ask for a copy when approaching lenders on your behalf.
What else matters besides how long ago your IVA completed?
Time since completion rarely stands alone. Lenders tend to look at the whole picture that has built up since your IVA finished.
- Your mortgage payment history. Most IVAs sit alongside a mortgage that continues to be paid, so a clean record throughout and since is one of the strongest points in your favour.
- New credit since completion. A default, missed payment or further CCJ after your IVA finished is likely to weigh more heavily than the IVA itself by this stage.
- Equity and loan to value. A lower LTV generally widens your choice of lenders. Our guide on how LTV affects a bad credit remortgage explains why.
- Income and affordability. Once the IVA has finished, the monthly contribution stops, which may improve what a lender considers you can afford.
If you are self-employed, lenders will usually also want accounts or tax calculations covering the years since your IVA completed. See self-employed bad credit remortgages for more.
How to check your credit file shows your IVA as completed
Get your statutory credit report free from each of the three agencies and check that the IVA is marked as completed or satisfied, with the correct start date, and that your entry has been removed from the Insolvency Register, which normally happens 3 months after an IVA ends. If anything looks wrong, ask the credit reference agency or the creditor to correct it well before you apply.
What may affect a remortgage after a completed IVA
Timing is only part of the picture. These points tend to matter most once an IVA has completed.
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Time since completion | Choice of lenders tends to widen the longer it has been, though there is no fixed number of months or years. |
| How the IVA ended | Completing on schedule, early by settlement, or after an extension can all lead to a completion certificate, which lenders may want to see. |
| Mortgage payment history | Keeping your mortgage up to date throughout the IVA and since is strong evidence in your favour. |
| New credit since completion | A clean record since the IVA finished usually matters more than the IVA itself, the longer ago it was. |
| Equity and loan to value | A lower LTV generally widens your options, particularly if equity was used to meet a clause during the IVA. |
| Income and affordability | Once the IVA contribution stops, lenders reassess what you can afford under their stress test. |
| Other entries on your file | Defaults linked to accounts in the IVA follow their own 6-year rule from the default date, separately from the IVA itself. |
| Employment type | Self-employed applicants usually need accounts or tax calculations covering the period since completion. |
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 IVA start date and completion date
- Your completion certificate, or settlement letter if it ended early
- Credit reports from Experian, Equifax and TransUnion
- Confirmation your entry has been removed from the Insolvency Register
- Your current mortgage balance, deal end date and any early repayment charges
- Proof of income and a summary of your monthly outgoings
- An estimate of your property’s value
Frequently asked questions
Can I remortgage the week after my IVA completes?
It is possible with some specialist lenders, though choice is usually narrower and rates are often higher than high-street rates. Many people find more options open up after a settled period, but there is no fixed number of months you must wait.
Do I need to wait 6 years after my IVA to remortgage?
No. The 6-year period is how long the IVA stays on your credit file from its start date, not a waiting period before you can apply. Some lenders may consider you well before then, particularly once you have a completion certificate and a clean record since.
I settled my IVA early. Does that help when I remortgage?
It can help, because it shows the arrangement was concluded and your creditors accepted the outcome. Keep the letter confirming the settlement was accepted alongside your completion certificate, as an adviser may ask to see it.
Will a lender definitely ask for my completion certificate?
Not every lender will, but many advisers ask for it as standard. If you have lost it, your former supervisor’s firm should be able to provide a copy.