There is no single credit score you need for a mortgage. The FCA rule this desk read, MCOB 11.6.2 R, requires the lender to assess whether you can pay and to demonstrate that the loan is affordable; it names no score. Lenders apply their own criteria, and the three agencies score you on different scales.
This desk read the rule and the agencies’ own pages on 16 October 2026. What follows is what they say, and why a figure on an older page may belong to a scale that is being retired.
What the FCA’s rule actually requires
The test sits in MCOB 11.6, headed “Responsible lending and financing”, which the Handbook says was last updated on 26 June 2026. Under MCOB 11.6.2 R, before entering into or varying a regulated mortgage contract a firm must assess whether the customer will be able to pay the sums due, and must not enter into it unless it can demonstrate that it is affordable.
That is a duty about whether the borrower can repay. In sections 11.6.1 to 11.6.3, which this desk read in full, no credit-score threshold appears. MCOB 11.6.3 R excludes some replacement mortgages and variations with the existing lender, where there is no extra borrowing beyond fees and no change material to affordability. We did not read the later income and expenditure provisions and make no claim about them.
So when a broker’s page quotes a “minimum score”, it is describing a lender’s preference or its own rule of thumb, not the regulator’s test.
What credit score do you need for a mortgage on each agency’s scale?
The score in your app is an agency’s estimate, and each agency counts differently. The bands below come from Experian’s guide to a good credit score, TransUnion’s release on its new score, and Equifax’s own guide.
| Score shown | Range | Top band | “Good” band | Lowest band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Experian | 0–1,250 | Excellent 1,121–1,250 | Good 861–1,000 | 0–640 |
| TransUnion (old) | 0–710 | Excellent 628–710 | Good 604–627 | Very Poor 0–550 |
| TransUnion (new) | 0–999 | Excellent 786–999 | Good 653–785 | Very Low 0–487 |
| Equifax | out of 1,000 | not read | not read | not read |
The same number means different things. A 700 is Excellent on TransUnion’s old scale, Good on its new one, and Fair on Experian’s, where Fair runs from 641 to 860. Experian’s 1,001 to 1,120 band is labelled Very Good.
What is a good credit score for a mortgage in the UK?
If “good” means an agency’s own label, the answer is 861 to 1,000 at Experian and, on TransUnion’s new scale, 653 to 785. Experian’s guide is careful about what that label promises: at Good you should see a wide range of credit cards, loans and mortgages, but you might pay a bit more interest. Even in its top band it says there are no guarantees. Equifax’s guide notes that you do not have just one score, because different companies generate different scores for you.
A good score, in other words, is a sign that a lender is likely to view your history kindly. It is not a pass mark, and the affordability assessment still happens whatever the number.
Why figures on older pages may be wrong
At least two of the three scales have recently changed. MoneySavingExpert reports that Experian moved from out of 999 to out of 1,250 in November 2025, so an “Experian 999” target belongs to a scale Experian no longer shows.
TransUnion’s change is still under way. Its release says the new 0–999 score will roll out across credit monitoring partners from late September 2026 until June 2027, and that some people may temporarily see two TransUnion scores. Until your provider switches, you may still see the old 0–710 number. TransUnion adds that the change does not affect lender decisions and that the credit report itself is not changing.
Which score do mortgage lenders use?
Mostly not yours. Experian’s guide says lenders look at your credit report, your application and any information they already hold, and that every lender calculates its own score. TransUnion says lenders use the credit report alongside their own factors. MoneySavingExpert puts it more bluntly: lenders largely use your history, not your score.
That makes the file worth more attention than the number. If a score has fallen, our piece on why a credit score goes down sets out the causes each agency lists. Our pieces on soft-search eligibility checks and on what “subject to status” means cover the steps before a lender’s full assessment.
FAQ
Is there a minimum credit score for a mortgage?
Not in the passages of the FCA’s mortgage rules this desk read. MCOB 11.6.2 R requires the lender to assess whether you can pay the sums due and to demonstrate that the mortgage is affordable; it names no score. Experian’s own guide says there is no specific score that guarantees acceptance. Each lender then applies its own criteria.
Can I get a mortgage with a credit score of 550?
It depends first on whose 550 it is. On TransUnion’s old scale it is Very Poor; on its new scale it sits in Low; on Experian’s it is in the bottom band, below 641. No rule read here bars an application at that number, but the lender still runs its affordability assessment and its own checks of your file, so the score alone does not settle it.
Which credit score do mortgage lenders use?
Usually none of the numbers you see in an app. TransUnion says lenders use your credit report alongside their own factors, and Experian says each lender calculates its own score from your report, your application and any data it already holds. Each of the three agencies keeps its own file, so all three are worth checking.
Loan Herald is a publisher, not a lender, mortgage adviser or broker, and is not authorised by the FCA; nothing here is advice. Check any firm on the FCA Register before you apply.