Have you recently had a change of address?

When it comes to applying for a mortgage, it is important to keep an eye on your credit score. The higher your credit score, the more likely that it is that you will be successful when applying for a mortgage with a lender. There are a variety of different elements that can have some kind of effect on your credit score.

One that is quite simple in theory but does has a larger impact than you might expect, is your address. Generally, the fewer addresses you have on your record, the better it will be. In the past though, we’ve seen people try to get around this in the wrong way.

A lot of the applicants we have dealt with are first time buyers in Bristol who have moved out of their parents address into rented accommodation, but are keeping their bank statements, credit card and electoral roll information registered at their previous home.

For some bizarre reason, people think that it is beneficial to them and their credit score to keep everything under one roof. Whilst theoretically that would lean into the statement of “the fewer, the better”, this actually causes a lot more harm than good. Almost without fail, if you have moved to a new address; whether you change it or not, there will be a record of you living there somewhere.

Anything from a general eBay or Amazon order, to an ASDA delivery, to something like your car, contents or home insurance are all linked to your credit history and will appear with your address on in some way

Check Before You Apply

Before you perform a credit search and apply for a mortgage, you have to be absolutely certain that as far as you’re aware, nothing will affect your credit score. You will need to make sure your current residential address is the one present on all accounts, be that electoral register, credit and debit cards, etc.

This only really applies to you if you have already moved out of your parents home, as up until that point you will be still only have your previous address to go off. Once you’re moved in, that’s when you should start moving everything over as soon as possible.

Regardless, when it comes to the point of applying for a mortgage, this all needs to be double and triple checked. We always find that people have a tendency to forget to update their address on their credit file and electoral roll. Please do your best to remember, it really does make a big difference!

Make sure that you definitely get the dates right too, knowing the exact date you moved into your rented property and the day that you moved out. Any mistakes made with these dates can sometimes give the lender the impression that you are occupying two properties at once.

Impress The Lender

By keeping your credit file super up-to-date, you are giving the lender the proof they need that you really know what you are doing and you are completely serious about what it is you’re looking to do.

It’s a more open and honest way of handling the mortgage application process. Your goal should be to impress the mortgage lender in any way you possibly can and keeping up to date with your address is a good starting point for doing so.

If you are in need of any further help or are just looking for some handy tips from a professional mortgage advisor in Bristol, please do get in touch and take advantage of our free initial mortgage consultation.

We know that being a first time buyer in Bristol with no mortgage experience can difficult and stressful, which is why we’re here to help. Get in touch with a dedicated and trustworthy mortgage broker in Bristol today and we’ll see what we can do for you.

Date Last Edited: December 6, 2023