The Fixer: help us find a mortgage

Have you been left out of pocket due to poor service or sharp practice? Do you have a money problem that won't go away?

It can seem impossible to get a fair result when you are battling a financial issue alone. But never fear! The AOL Money Fixer is here to help.

Dear Fixer,

My partner has a debt management plan and only returned to work three months ago after being off for 10 months because his sister had cancer.

He is 55 and time is running out for us to get a mortgage. The house we like is £400,000, and we have £60,000 for a deposit.

But even though we earn more than £100,000 between us, we can't get a mortgage. It's a nightmare. What is the best solution?

J Hunt, London

Dear Ms Hunt,
Mainstream mortgage lenders generally want borrowers with clean credit files. That's why you are having trouble finding a deal.

However, a specialist lender may be able to help. David Hollingsworth at broker London & Country Mortgages said: "Specialist lenders are an option for borrowers that have had difficulties in the past but are working to put that behind them.

"Their rates will be higher than standard mortgage rates, but you may be able to find one that will consider the 85% loan-to-value mortgage you want.

"If you build up a good track record, you can hopefully switch back into the mainstream market at a later date."

The first step is to get hold of a copy of your credit files so that your mortgage adviser can try to pinpoint what options could be open to you.

Remember though that you will need to for all the other costs of buying a property when calculating your deposit.

You also need to ensure the repayments are affordable alongside your partner's debt management plan payments, especially as lenders may want to you pay more each month due to age limits for mortgage customers.

The Fixer

Whatever your financial problem, write to themoneyfixer@aim.com and The AOL Money Fixer will get on the case.