As anyone who has bad credit will already know, being in this situation can be a real pain, and can have a profound effect on your financial future. In fact, in the current financial climate many of those with damaged credit are finding out just what a nightmare having bad credit can be. For many years consumers in the UK – even those with tarnished credit – have enjoyed easy credit and a great choice of financial products. However, since last summer, when the global credit crunch winged its way to the UK from the United States, this has all changed, and credit conditions have become far more difficult.

This said, whilst credit conditions have certainly become much tougher for those with bad credit there is still available of finance for those with damaged credit, and in fact taking up finance can actually help you to repair your credit. Your credit rating is affected by your repayment habits on debts and other financial commitments, and the more responsible and sensible you are about making these payments the more your credit rating will improve.

There are a number of finance options available for those with bad credit depending on what you are looking for. You can get credit cards that cater specifically for those with damaged credit, and whilst the interest rates on the cards may be higher than the norm what you should aim to do is clear the balance in full each month so that you are not charged any interest at all, yet you can still enjoy the convenience of the credit card and make a start in improving your credit by using and repaying the card responsibly.

There are also loans available for those with damaged credit. In many cases you may find that the only type of loan that you can get is a secured loan, which is a loan that is secured against the house and is therefore only available to homeowners. However, there are some unsecured lenders that will offer finance to those with damaged credit, although this depends on the extent of the damage and the lender’s own eligibility criteria – interest rates on these loans are likely to be quite high, but you can compare to see whether you can find a more competitive deal.

For those planning to buy a property there are also bad credit mortgages available, although the mortgage crisis that has stemmed from the global credit crunch has reduced the choice and availability of mortgage products dramatically. Again, you should compare different mortgages to see if you can find a competitive deal, but remember that borrowing costs in the mortgage sector are still quite high at present.

If you are looking to purchase a car there are two options. You could opt for a loan for those with bad credit and use this to purchase the vehicle, which means that you will have more choice over which vehicle you buy. Alternatively you could opt for dealership finance from one of the number of car dealerships that offer their own finance and cater for those that have damaged credit, but the interest rates are likely to be very high and you will be restricted with regards to the vehicle that you purchase.

By: Brendan Flushing