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IVA Mortgages

An IVA or Individual Voluntary Arrangement is an agreement between you and your creditors in which you agree to make one payment out of your income each month to help you clear outstanding debts. This payment amount is based on your personal budget, so the amount is manageable for you, and the payments are spread over a fixed period of time. An IVA is useful when you need to prove your ability to make payments to high street mortgage lenders. However, under the terms of an IVA, you agree to contribute as much as possible toward paying off your debts each month. In short, an IVA gives you an opportunity to pay a manageable amount each month in order to pay off your outstanding debts.

With an IVA, your home is protected, your credit rating is not harmed, and your job is not at risk. You can even apply for a new mortgage, called an IVA mortgage. There are many UK mortgage lenders that will not consider IVA mortgage applications because of the inherent risk that they will have to take on. However, the subprime mortgage market in the UK is so strong that certain mortgage lenders have decided to cater solely to people looking for IVA mortgage or other types of subprime mortgages. These lenders will take a careful look at your financial history and at the progress you're making on your IVA before they offer you an IVA mortgage.

The type of IVA mortgage that you'll be offered depends on how long ago your IVA was cleared and on the amount you're able to offer as a deposit. If you're able to offer five percent or more, you should be in good shape to receive an IVA mortgage. Also, the mortgage interest rate you'll receive is based on similar factors.  

Often, with IVA mortgages, your lender will write a clause into the mortgage contract saying that part of your loan needs to be paid back by the equity in your home. Your home will still be yours, but part of the value needs to be used to repay your debt. 

Getting an IVA mortgage has some disadvantages. When you have an IVA mortgage, you will need to spread your payments over a longer period of time. If you fail to comply with the terms of your IVA, your home and your other assets may be at risk unless you specifically excluded them from the terms of your IVA proposal.