You can, yes. You will almost certainly need to apply to a niche lender, as the vast majority of high street banks will automatically reject any applicant with a bankruptcy history.

The application will need to wait until the bankruptcy has been discharged, usually taking around a year. If you can build up a few months or years of positive credit management since the discharge date, you will have a better chance of approval.

Any bankruptcy mortgage will tend to charge higher interest rates than for a person with a clean credit file. However, after four or five years, if your financial conduct is excellent, you can usually borrow a mortgage with a 5-10% deposit on similar terms to any other borrower.

If the bankruptcy were discharged within the last two years, you would need a higher deposit of at least 25%.

The below table provides an indication of the likelihood of finding a mortgage, depending on how long ago it was discharged:

There are around 20 lenders in the UK who offer mortgages to applicants with a discharged bankruptcy. A lot depends on how many years have passed and whether you have any additional credit issues to consider.

To improve your chances of approval, you should:

• Obtain a copy of your credit file from all three major bureaus - Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You should check all the details are accurate and query any errors before applying for your mortgage.
• Consult a broker to determine which lenders you would be eligible to apply to.
• Work on improving your credit score and building up a positive credit history. That could include registering to vote, using a credit builder facility, not applying for unnecessary borrowing, and paying all your bills on time.

The National Hunter Database includes everybody who has been made bankrupt in the UK, including discharged bankruptcies.

This report isn't something lenders will rely on for credit scoring, although they will run your name through when considering the full application process.

That means that, even if the bankruptcy were discharged over six years ago and no longer appears on your credit file, you would still need to declare this since it will be identified through the database.

Much depends on when. If you had credit issues and became bankrupt but have been responsible since you can usually find a mortgage with a specialist lender.

Having more bad credit problems after bankruptcy is a red flag and can make it extremely difficult to find a mortgage.