First, an honest word on how we help

AfterMy is a credit broker, not a mortgage broker — we don't advise on or arrange mortgages ourselves. What we do is connect you with a regulated specialist mortgage broker who handles your mortgage from there. This guide is to help you understand the landscape before that introduction, so you know what to expect.

When it becomes realistic

You can't get a mortgage while your Trust Deed is active — that's the firm rule. Once you're discharged, most specialist lenders want to see at least a year of clean conduct, and some prefer two to three. Your Trust Deed stays on your file for six years from the date it started, so for that window you're with specialist lenders rather than the high street. The further past discharge you are — and the cleaner your record since — the more lenders open up and the better the terms.

What deposit you'll need

This is the big one after a Trust Deed. Recently discharged, expect to need a sizeable deposit — often around 20–25% or more in the first year or two — because lenders see a recent Trust Deed as higher risk. As time passes and your record stays clean, that requirement eases, and once the mark clears at six years it returns toward normal. If a big deposit isn't realistic yet, waiting a year or two and saving can genuinely widen your options.

What lenders look at

• Time since discharge: more lenders, and lower deposits, the further past it you are.
• Clean conduct since the Trust Deed: no new defaults, arrears or missed payments — recent history matters most.
• Your deposit: a larger one offsets the lender's risk and opens more doors.
• Affordability: income, outgoings and the usual checks, same as any borrower.

If you already own a home

One Scotland-specific point: your trustee can keep an interest in a property you owned during the Trust Deed, even after you're discharged, until that interest is formally dealt with. If you own a home and are thinking about remortgaging, this is something your specialist broker and trustee will need to sort out first. For most people buying their first home after a Trust Deed, it doesn't arise — but it's worth knowing.

Why it has to be a broker

The lenders who consider a recent Trust Deed are mostly specialists who don't deal with the public directly — you reach them through a broker. A specialist mortgage broker knows which lenders fit your exact situation, so you apply where you're likely to be accepted rather than collecting declines. That's exactly why we introduce you to one rather than sending you to a comparison site.

While your Trust Deed is still running

During your Trust Deed, a mortgage isn't possible, and you must tell any lender about your Trust Deed if you apply to borrow more than £2,000. The right move is to let it finish, then use the time after to build clean history and save toward a deposit. This guide is about what becomes possible once you're discharged.

Mistakes to avoid

• Trying to apply while the Trust Deed is still active — no lender will proceed.
• Applying to high-street lenders too soon and collecting declines.
• Not saving toward a larger deposit — it's the single biggest factor early on.
• Letting your record slip after discharge — clean recent conduct is what lenders weigh most.