Self-Employed with a CCJ - We’re on Our Way!

Meet Fran and Kim

This is Fran and Kim, a couple in their late 30s from Matlock in Derbyshire. Fran’s a self-employed digital marketer and Kim’s a primary school teacher. They’ve been renting a two-bedroom house for the last three years and are desperate to get on the property ladder due to rising rental costs. Like so many people, they wanted somewhere they could finally call home ❤️.

They have a decent joint income of around £60,000, but most of this is swallowed up by rent and bills each month. They’ve had a few financial problems in the past too. Fran had racked up a number of credit card debts, but her credit score only really took a hit after getting a County Court Judgment (CCJ) two years ago. She’d only missed three months of store card payments, which amounted to £520, but the supplier took her to court. It was a shock, but in hindsight, it was the push she needed. She paid off her debts and finally decided to get her finances in order.  

Over the last couple of years, the couple have worked to save up over £8,000 for a 5% deposit. It was just enough to purchase a pretty little house near Kim’s school. It had everything they needed. A spare room Fran could use as an office, a walled garden and space for two cars. They had to have it!

Neither Fran or Kim had purchased a house before, so they didn’t know where to start. They assumed their bank would be the best place to get some advice and hopefully a mortgage🤞. They arranged an appointment and were quickly seen by the branch manager. She was happy with their spending from their bank accounts but seemed uncomfortable about Fran being self-employed. And then she found out she’d had a CCJ. “This just isn’t something we’ll be able to help you with. Your application doesn’t fit our criteria” she said. Fran and Kim were left feeling even more confused. Fran had been trading for four years, had paid off the CCJ, and they’d saved for their deposit - why couldn’t her bank help her? 

They searched the internet for help and decided to contact a few mortgage brokers to find out if it was even possible to get a mortgage in their situation. The advice they got was all over the place - they just needed some clarity. Thank goodness they decided to ‘click on’ Haysto.

How did we help?

After submitting their enquiry through Haysto’s website, they were quickly matched with a specialist broker who was an expert in getting mortgages for people just like them. 

Fran and Kim’s broker got to work straight away to find them the best mortgage for their unique situation. After looking at all their options, a specialist lender, The Mortgage Lender said they’d be happy to help. The Mortgage lenders call themselves the ‘lifestyle lenders’ - being self-employed, freelance, divorced or single is totally normal to them. Providing mortgages to people with less-than-usual lifestyles is all they do. Turns out they were the perfect match.

Fran and Kim are now living in their amazing new home. They’ve even welcomed a new four-legged friend called Toto to the family. They’re no longer paying someone else’s mortgage. Yes! it doesn’t get much better than that!

What Fran and Kim say

“Here we are, in our new home - we can’t quite believe it!

“The process only took seven weeks from start to finish, and we were supported throughout. It felt like our broker was on our side and wanted it to happen as much as we did. It's so hard to navigate everything online, we kept getting conflicting information, so the advice he gave us was invaluable.

“We never thought we’d become homeowners. It just seemed completely out of reach. The big banks need to realise that life is full of ups and downs, and they should give you a chance to turn it around. If it wasn’t for Haysto we’d probably still be paying crazy amounts of money in rent, with nothing to show for it. We’re actually paying far less now and can afford to treat ourselves to the odd meal out and maybe even a holiday this year.

“Haysto you legends, thank you so much! Becoming homeowners has been life-changing.”