--- title: "Adverse Credit First-Time Buyer" description: "How first-time buyers in South Wales with adverse credit secured a £202,500 mortgage at 90% LTV, reaching offer in under two weeks." url: "https://mortgagelane.com/case-studies/adverse-credit-first-time-buyer-south-wales" site: "Mortgage Lane" collection: "case-studies" date: "2026-10-08" author: "Seren Norton" category: "Case study" reviewed: "2026-10-15" reading_time: "4 min" byline: "Seren Norton" author_credentials: "CeMAP · FCA authorised firm" language: "en-GB" robots: "index,follow" --- # Adverse Credit First-Time Buyer How first-time buyers in South Wales with adverse credit secured a £202,500 mortgage at 90% LTV, reaching offer in under two weeks. How first-time buyers in South Wales with adverse credit secured a £202,500 mortgage at 90% LTV, reaching offer in under two weeks. ## Adverse Credit First-Time Buyer: Mortgage Offer in Under 2 Weeks Our clients had always wanted to buy their first home for their family, but never thought they could because of their credit reports. Affordability wasn’t the problem. Finding a lender whose criteria they met was. Adverse credit is a common reason for a [bad credit mortgage declined](https://mortgagelane.com/insights/declined-mortgages) decision, but this case went the other way. We found a lender whose criteria our clients met, reached mortgage offer within two weeks of applying, and secured a 5-year fixed rate that kept their payments within budget. ## Case overview *Case overview* | Detail | Summary | | --- | --- | | Client type | First-time buyers | | Location | South Wales | | Purchase price | £225,000 | | Loan amount | £202,500 | | LTV | 90% | | Rate and product | 7.19%, 5-year fixed | | Application to offer | Under 2 weeks | | Main challenge | Complicated adverse credit on both applications | ## The scenario Our clients came to us wanting to buy their first home for their family. They had always hoped to, but didn’t think it was possible, because of their credit reports. From the first enquiry, we looked at affordability, which worked with many lenders. The issue was the adverse credit, which appeared on both applications and was complicated. ## The challenges 1. **Complicated Adverse Credit**Both clients had adverse credit, so the case couldn’t go to just any lender. The details mattered, and they needed to be checked against each lender’s criteria. 2. **Matching Lender Criteria**Although plenty of lenders were affordable, the challenge was finding one whose criteria our clients actually met. That meant checking criteria with lenders rather than assuming. 3. **A Higher Rate Than Hoped**With adverse credit on both files, the rate was always going to be less competitive than for a mainstream applicant, and it came out higher than we had first hoped. ## The solution We started with the affordability, which showed that income wasn’t the obstacle. That meant the work was in the criteria, so we made many phone calls and sent emails to lenders to check where our clients’ credit history would be accepted, before choosing where to apply. Once we had found a suitable lender, we submitted the decision in principle. When it was accepted, we got the case underwritten as soon as we could. Our clients provided their documents promptly, which helped us reach offer in under two weeks. From there, we spoke to the solicitors and our clients regularly to keep everyone updated, and made sure the case kept moving towards completion. The rate was higher than we had initially hoped for, but we secured a mortgage within budget on a 5-year fixed rate. That gave our clients certainty over their payments for a suitable period. ## The outcome The mortgage completed and our clients have now moved in and are starting to decorate, turning the house into their home. ## Frequently asked questions **Can you get a mortgage with adverse credit as a first-time buyer?** Yes, in some cases. Lenders treat adverse credit very differently, so a [declined home loan](https://mortgagelane.com/insights/declined-mortgages) at one lender may still meet another’s criteria. A broker can check criteria with lenders before you apply, which is what we did here. **Why is the interest rate higher with adverse credit?** Lenders price in the extra risk, so rates are usually higher than for applicants with a clean credit history. A fixed rate, such as the 5 years in this case, gives certainty over payments for that period. **How long does it take to get a mortgage offer with adverse credit?** It depends on the lender and how quickly documents are provided. In this case, the offer was issued less than two weeks after the application, helped by our clients supplying documents promptly. > [!IMPORTANT] > Further reading > > Our guide to declined mortgages covers the most common reasons applications are turned down and what can be done. [Read the guide to declined mortgages](https://mortgagelane.com/insights/declined-mortgages). ## Related case studies - [2026](https://mortgagelane.com/case-studies/shared-ownership-first-time-buyer-west-midlands)Case study[Shared Ownership Mortgage](https://mortgagelane.com/case-studies/shared-ownership-first-time-buyer-west-midlands)How we secured a £92,000 shared ownership mortgage for a first-time buyer in the West Midlands, appealing income and cutting the term from 40 to 24 years.[Read more about Shared Ownership Mortgage](https://mortgagelane.com/case-studies/shared-ownership-first-time-buyer-west-midlands) - [2026](https://mortgagelane.com/case-studies/residential-bridging-exit-10-days)Case study[Residential Bridging Exit](https://mortgagelane.com/case-studies/residential-bridging-exit-10-days)See how a client refinanced off a residential bridging loan and cleared a £500,000 balance in 10 days, 3 days before the term expired.[Read more about Residential Bridging Exit](https://mortgagelane.com/case-studies/residential-bridging-exit-10-days) - [2026](https://mortgagelane.com/case-studies/residential-bridge-exit-london)Case study[Owner-Occupied Bridge](https://mortgagelane.com/case-studies/residential-bridge-exit-london)How we refinanced a London terrace house off a bridging loan, switching lenders when the redemption figure rose, and completing 5 days before expiry.[Read more about Owner-Occupied Bridge](https://mortgagelane.com/case-studies/residential-bridge-exit-london) ## Worried your credit history will stop you buying? We’ll check lender criteria for you before you apply. Published: 2026-10-08 Last reviewed: 2026-10-15 Source: https://mortgagelane.com/case-studies/adverse-credit-first-time-buyer-south-wales