Who can be a guarantor?

A guarantor should be someone who knows the borrower well, usually a friend or family member. They must meet some initial criteria and be willing and able to make repayments if the borrower doesn’t.

Guarantors are needed for two main reasons:

1. To provide support for the borrower in order to obtain the loan
2. To step in and make the repayments on the borrower’s behalf, if the borrower does not pay.

To act as a guarantor, you must:

• be a homeowner – either via mortgage or outright,
• Have been a UK resident for at least three years and have a current, active bank account,
• Live in England, Scotland or Wales,
• be between the ages of 25 at the start of the loan and 70 at the end of the loan term,
• be employed, retired or in receipt of certain benefits,
• have known the borrower for at least 12 months and trust them,
• not currently be bankrupt, or had an active bankrupcy within the last 3 years,
• not currently in a Debt Management Plan(DMP), or had an active DMP within the last year,
• not currently be in an Individual Voluntary Agreement (IVA) or have had an active IVA within the last year,
• not currently subject to a Trust Deed or have an active Trust Deed within the last year
• be willing and able to afford the repayments if required to make them.