It is always possible - but the right lender and mortgage product will depend very much on what sort of bad credit issues you have and when they occurred. There are two primary options:

• Remortgaging your current deal with an additional value to pay off your debts.
• Taking out a second charge mortgage designed for bad credit applicants.

While many high street banks will automatically reject any bad credit applicant, thousands of niche providers take a more flexible approach to mortgage lending.

You can remortgage with bad credit whether you own the property outright (called an unencumbered mortgage) or whether you have a mortgage and want to replace it with a larger or more competitive deal.

Remortgages can be used for no end of reasons:

• Raising capital to consolidate your debts.
• Investing in a rental property.
• Releasing equity to pay for renovations, a car or a family event.

The key is always to ensure you apply to a lender who can consider your remortgage application within their lending criteria.

Your first port of call is to check out your credit reports and ensure you're 100% clear on what issues show, so you can provide context or information to reduce the perceived lender's risk.

Adverse credit is a broad term that refers to multiple different scenarios, including:

• A low credit score.
• Late payments or mortgage arrears on your file.
• Having defaults or CCJs registered against you.
• Being in a Debt Management Plan or IVA.
• Repossessions or bankruptcy, at the more severe end of the scale.

Now, a lot will depend on which of those bad credit circumstances you've experienced.

Bad credit lenders will tend to assess each remortgage application on a case-by-case basis. They look at when the situation occurred, why it happened, what sort of money was involved, and if you've since made good on your debts.

However, things get trickier the further down the list you get.

A remortgage application currently in an IVA or with a property repossession in the last 18 months will undoubtedly require tailored support from a specialist broker to find their required borrowing.

Other considerations include:

• The deposit you have available - with the higher, the better.
• Your loan to income ratio, which shows how much you want to borrow against how much you earn. Most lenders will lend 3.5 to four times your annual earnings.

Possibly - although it depends on why you have a low credit score.

If you already have a mortgage, it's unlikely that you have never used credit borrowing, and therefore haven't ever built up a credit history. If you are younger, this could be the cause - in which case, the lender will need to assess affordability to be confident you can afford the remortgage payments.

However, suppose you have a very poor credit history. In that case, you will need to apply to a remortgage provider who is less interested in credit scores as they are in demonstrating your ability to keep up with the mortgage costs.

Again, maybe - but lenders will need to know what other credit issues you may have. Missing mortgage payments and falling into arrears is a red flag that you won't make your repayments on time, so you will almost certainly need an independent broker to negotiate terms on your behalf.

If the arrears were several years ago, you're more likely to be approved for a remortgage if you can explain what happened.

You will usually need at least a 15% to 25% deposit for a remortgage after arrears.

Suppose you have a higher deposit (in a remortgage scenario, that would be the equity remaining in the property to leverage as security). In that case, the lender's risk drops a little further, and you'll instantly improve the offered interest rates.

Defaults are more serious than a late payment but aren't always a deal-breaker for remortgaging.

It is common for high street banks to reject any applicant with defaults, so a specialist lender is usually your best bet.

Lenders will consider when the defaults happened, why, and how serious the amounts involved were.

Again, it all comes down to when the CCJ was registered and whether you have now satisfied the debt. Some bad credit lenders will consider a mortgage within a couple of years of a CCJ, although mainstream lenders will typically need several years to have passed.

CCJ remortgage applicants will need a high deposit to offset the lender's risk - usually at least 25% of the purchase value.

The longer ago the CCJ was registered, the more likely you would be approved for a remortgage.

If you have an IVA and can show that you have made repayments on time for at least a year or two, you may be eligible for a remortgage.

Lenders all have different policies about IVA lending, so it is essential to be upfront about why you are in or have had an IVA and show that you are now managing your finances responsibly.

Potentially, you can consider a second charge mortgage to raise funds needed to settle the remaining debt on your IVA. Specialist lenders will look at your recent credit history to determine whether they can offer to lend.

Secured loans are more flexible than mortgages, and you can usually borrow up to ten times your annual income. In contrast, a mortgage is typically limited to four or five times your yearly earnings.