Mortgage with BKR: records, rejection and your options

Mortgage with BKR registration: what is possible?

A mortgage with a BKR registration is not necessarily impossible. An ongoing loan without arrears mainly reduces your borrowing capacity; a negative code makes acceptance harder, but the outcome depends on the code, current status, lender’s policy and your full financial position. Always start with your own credit report, rather than a mortgage application.

Written by Onur Arslan, lawyer at Arslan Advocaten. Onur Arslan has many years of experience with private-law disputes, including insurance-law and BKR-related disputes. Last updated: 2 October 2026. This article concerns Dutch law.

Below you can read what a mortgage lender sees at BKR, when you can have a registration corrected or removed for a mortgage, what applies after debt assistance or WSNP, what to watch for with an alternative mortgage, and what to do if your request is refused or the deadline in your purchase contract is close.

What a mortgage lender sees at BKR

A record without an arrears code is often called a positive registration. It counts in the affordability assessment because monthly credit commitments reduce borrowing capacity. A negative record contains an arrears notification (A) or a special code and mainly affects acceptance.

An important distinction: a mortgage on your own home is not recorded as an ordinary credit agreement in the Central Credit Information System (CKI). For that type of credit, the lender reports only negative payment experiences, such as arrears or a special event, without the amount (Article 19(2) of the CKI General Regulations). A mortgage running without problems is therefore not visible as an ordinary CKI loan.

Obtain your current data free of charge through Mijn Kredietregistratie. For each entry, note the lender, code, registered amount, any recovery notification and actual end date.

The relevant codes

Code	Meaning
A	A payment arrear has been reported.
H	Recovery notification: arrears have been cleared while the agreement continues. If the agreement ends at the same time, an actual end date is recorded instead.
1	A repayment arrangement made after arrears arose.
2	The lender demanded payment of the remaining or entire debt. Calling in a debt is different from ending the agreement.
3	At least €250 was written off. An actual end date is reported at the same time only for final discharge; without it, the claim still exists.
4	You could not be contacted.
5	A written preventive payment arrangement for a mortgage lasting at least four months. Prior arrears are not required.

The combination and dates matter more than a ranking from “minor” to “serious”. An old, resolved notification carries different significance from current arrears without recovery.

In practice people often speak of A2, A3 or A4. These are not separate codes, but an arrears notification (A) combined with special code 2, 3 or 4. SH and SK are not codes either: they indicate that a debt assistance programme or a restructuring loan has been registered (Article 15 of the CKI General Regulations). More on that below.

How long does the information remain visible?

The main period is five years, but the starting point differs. For an ended agreement, it runs from the actual end date. Where recovery has been reported, notifications preceding recovery disappear five years after registration of that recovery. For an ongoing agreement with arrears and no recovery notification, five years does not automatically lead to deletion; the lender must assess the position under Article 14 of the CKI General Regulations.

Check the end date before repaying simply to force through an application. Repayment does not erase the history, but can determine the date from which the five-year period runs.

If you have repaid, first check whether the lender reported the actual end date correctly. If that date is missing or wrong, you ask for correction. A request to remove the rest of the registration earlier is a different question, with its own justification. See also BKR registration after repayment.

These periods come from the CKI General Regulations of Stichting BKR. A bill that is to regulate credit registration and the retention periods by law is still being prepared. Until that act exists, the rules of the regulations apply.

After debt assistance, a restructuring loan or WSNP

Debt assistance (SH) and a restructuring loan (SK) appear in the BKR as separate registrations alongside your other credit agreements. For debt assistance, the municipality or credit bank reports the decision admitting you to the programme. A restructuring loan is a loan with which the credit bank pays your creditors on your behalf, after which you repay that loan.

For the registration of a completed debt arrangement, the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) called on municipalities in February 2025 to apply a retention period of six months. That is not a statutory period: municipalities decide for themselves, and practice differs per municipality (NVVK announcement of 13 March 2025). Ask your municipality or credit bank after which period your registration will be removed.

That period concerns the registration of the debt assistance programme itself. The registrations of your original credit agreements, for example with code 3 and an end date after final discharge, follow the ordinary rules of the regulations. The same distinction applies after the WSNP: the Insolvency Register is a different register from the BKR. So do not assume that everything disappears after six months, or only after five years; assess each registration separately. More on this in BKR registration after a debt arrangement or WSNP.

Which steps should you take, and in what order?

Obtain your credit report and check lender, code, amount, registration date, recovery notification and actual end date.
Have mortgage acceptance assessed separately. An independent mortgage adviser can explain the effect of a current loan or code on affordability and acceptance and whether NHG is relevant. The NHG conditions and standards apply alongside the lender’s own policy.
If data is wrong, ask the lender that reported it to correct it, rather than directing the correction request to Stichting BKR. Examples include missing recovery, incorrect dates, arrears reported before the period for that credit type elapsed, or an arrears notification without the required prior written warning (Article 39(2) of the CKI General Regulations).
If the record is correct but disproportionately affects you, submit a reasoned removal request. Article 14(10) allows deletion where a careful balancing of interests shows a justified record to be disproportionate.
If refused, assess Kifid or court proceedings. A consumer complaint to Kifid carries no complaint fee. For a GDPR request answered by the lender, consider the six-week petition deadline under Article 35(2) UAVG.
Submit the mortgage application once you understand the record and feasibility.

Documents for a removal request

Your current credit report and any earlier version.
Proof of repayment or recovery: bank statements, lender confirmation and any final settlement agreement.
The lender’s written mortgage rejection, including its reason.
Evidence of specific disadvantage: an interest difference on failed refinancing, a lost purchase opportunity or an expiring tenancy.
Your current income, regular expenses and evidence of no new arrears.
Evidence of the original causes, such as illness, dismissal or divorce.
A written explanation from your mortgage adviser: is the registration the decisive obstacle, and would the desired loan be feasible without it? If the loan is too high even without the registration, removal will not solve the housing problem.

A wish to obtain a mortgage is relevant evidence, but not an independent entitlement to removal. The lender weighs your interests against the purpose of credit registration and protection against over-indebtedness. Specific, dated evidence of disadvantage is more useful than a general assertion.

After a mortgage rejection

Do not immediately conclude that the record is wrong. Request the rejection reason in writing and separate mortgage acceptance from the legal validity of the registration. These involve different questions, parties and procedures. Refinancing also requires a new assessment. Its rejection can support a removal request, but does not automatically establish a right to deletion.

Alternative mortgage with a BKR registration

Sometimes a mortgage adviser can examine whether an application with the existing registration is responsible and suitable. That is a different question from legal correction or removal. Acceptance policy differs per lender and product and can change. A list of banks that always accept a negative BKR registration therefore does not give a reliable answer.

If you receive a proposal, ask for the specific conditions, interest rate, costs and risks. Do not take out expensive temporary credit to buy time: new payments and a new registration can make your housing plan less feasible. A lawyer assesses the registration dispute; an authorised mortgage adviser assesses the financing.

Costs and legal aid

Eligibility for subsidised legal aid depends on the Legal Aid Board’s current income, asset and case requirements. In 2026, the ordinary assessment uses income from reference year 2024 and an asset threshold of €36,952 for a single person and €73,904 for partners together. Do not assume automatic funding for a BKR case; have eligibility checked. Current conditions, including possible adjustment of the reference year, are available from the Legal Aid Board.

Ask in advance which work an engagement covers: assessing the file, a request to the lender, a Kifid complaint or proceedings. A price for the first request does not automatically include a hearing. Do not choose on a promise of quick removal or a high success rate; a reliable assessment also says when a request is still too weak.

A mortgage application while a registration remains

The date a record disappears can be crucial for a pending application. Have your registration assessed (Dutch) and mention the application. Demonstrable, dated disadvantage matters in the balancing exercise. Costs are explained in the BKR removal fee guide (Dutch).

Substantiating a specific mortgage application

Ask your adviser or lender which registration prevents acceptance and which other conditions remain. Income, other debts and the property can also be decisive. Removing a code therefore does not guarantee financing.

Include a current application, rejection and relevant deadlines. Explain the concrete housing interest and financial stability. Do not enter a purchase obligation without an appropriate financing condition merely because you expect removal.

Proving a housing need with verifiable documents

Explain your present housing need and the consequences of waiting. An expiring tenancy, a necessary move because of family circumstances or a specific suitable home calls for different evidence from a general hope of buying someday. Provide dates, amounts and documents so the lender can assess urgency.

A purchase agreement with a financing condition can make the interest concrete, but is not required before requesting assessment of a registration. Do not create unnecessary obligations just to strengthen your file. If you have signed, record the deadline for invoking the financing condition and discuss any extension promptly with your adviser and the relevant counterparty.

Address alternatives too. Is renting available and affordable? Could a different financing structure work? An alternative need not be equivalent, but saying only that buying is preferable leaves the assessment incomplete. Explain why your proposed solution is appropriate and provide evidence of disadvantages of other options.

Describing financial stability without selecting only favourable facts

A persuasive request explains what changed since the payment problems. Support stable income, regular expenses, repayments and absence of new arrears with evidence. Include relevant commitments absent from the credit report, such as a family loan or maintenance payments. These may affect both mortgage acceptance and overall affordability.

Prepare a short timeline: origin and cause of arrears, contact with the lender, payment arrangements, recovery or termination, and the subsequent period. A debt ending through final discharge requires a different explanation from a fully repaid loan. Use the terminology in the lender’s confirmation and attach it.

Do not conceal new difficulties. Explain what happened and the current solution. A file showing only favourable months may prove less reliable on further examination. Provide relevant documents completely, with appropriate redaction of unnecessary third-party data.

Assessing damages from an incorrect registration separately

Correction or removal and compensation are separate requests. Even an amended record does not automatically establish that every missed purchase or higher interest cost resulted from an error. Compensation requires an adequate legal basis, causation and a supported calculation.

A fictional example: an adviser reports that an incorrect end date blocks an application. The record is corrected, but a rate offer expires meanwhile. Keep the original report, correction decision, both rate offers and the adviser’s written explanation. Investigate whether income, property value or other acceptance requirements would have prevented the loan even without the error.

Calculate disadvantage using comparable assumptions. A lower payment over a longer term is not automatically cheaper: repayment structure, fixed-rate period and additional costs matter. Avoid a thirty-year total without explaining assumptions. Adviser and legal fees also require separate assessment of necessity and recoverability.

It is also examined whether you limited the disadvantage where reasonably possible, for example by asking for correction in time or invoking a financing condition. Keep rejections with their reasons, the old and new credit reports, invoices and rate offers. Non-material damage must also be substantiated concretely; an error in the registration alone is not enough. If you reach a settlement, record whether you retain further claims. More in compensation for an incorrect BKR registration.

What should you do while a removal request is pending?

Continue complying with payment arrangements where possible and respond to specific questions. A request does not automatically change contractual obligations. Obtain acknowledgement, identify the person handling the file and monitor deadlines. Assess a refusal promptly for the appropriate next route and procedural time limits.

Ask your mortgage adviser which application steps can wait and which deadlines cannot. A complaint or court case does not automatically extend a financing condition. Record commitments from the seller, adviser or lender in writing. A verbal expectation that the record “will disappear” is not a financing guarantee.

After a promised correction, obtain a new credit report. Keep both versions and have your adviser reassess acceptance. Registration, creditworthiness assessment and the final mortgage offer remain separate matters.

What should you do if your removal request is refused?

First check whether the lender really addresses your situation. Were the correct dates used, was your housing interest discussed, and was it explained why the registration is still considered necessary? A refusal is not automatically wrong, but the reasoning determines which next step has a chance.

If the lender participates in Kifid, you can submit a complaint there free of charge. You do so within 3 months after the lender gave its final position in writing, if it pointed out that period to you, within 1 year after you first raised the complaint with it, or within a reasonable period after you knew or should have known that you could complain. The period most favourable to you applies. Kifid does not handle a complaint that has already been put to the court, so choose deliberately.

If you (also) based your request on the GDPR, you can ask the district court by petition to order the lender to grant your request after all (Article 35 UAVG). You file that petition within six weeks of receiving the answer; a lawyer is not required for this. If the lender did not answer within the GDPR period, that six-week period does not apply.

If the six weeks have passed, the case is not automatically lost. According to the Supreme Court you can make a new request; if it is refused again, you can still go to the district court. With an urgent interest, summary proceedings may also be possible, ahead of or after such a repeated request. The lender may only refuse a repeated request if it is manifestly unfounded or excessive, and must prove that; the mere absence of new circumstances is not enough (Supreme Court 15 September 2023, ECLI:NL:HR:2023:1216, on a BKR registration). See also the Kifid procedure explained.

Urgent: the deadline in your purchase contract is close

When the date for the financing condition approaches, two tracks run side by side: your position under the purchase agreement and the registration dispute. A removal request, a Kifid complaint or proceedings do not extend the deadline in the purchase contract. Discuss in good time with your adviser or estate agent whether you invoke the financing condition or ask for an extension, and record agreements in writing.

Summary proceedings can be considered in urgent cases, but require a concrete urgent interest and a substantively strong request. Even then it is not certain that the court will decide before your deadline, or that it will order removal. So do not base a purchase decision on the expectation that the registration will disappear in time.

Frequently asked questions about BKR and mortgages

Is my own mortgage registered at BKR?

Not as an ordinary loan. For a mortgage on your own home, the lender reports only negative payment experiences, without the amount, under Article 19(2) of the CKI General Regulations. A problem-free mortgage is therefore not recorded as an ordinary CKI loan.

Can I obtain a mortgage with a positive registration?

Possibly. The ongoing credit commitment reduces maximum borrowing capacity because it counts towards affordability. The lender assesses your full finances and its own acceptance policy.

What about a negative code?

Acceptance is harder and depends on the code, recovery or end status, current circumstances, lender and any NHG standards. There is no general guarantee, nor does a code itself impose a universal statutory prohibition.

How long does an ended loan remain visible?

Generally five years after its actual end date. For a recovery notification, earlier notifications disappear five years after registration of recovery, under Article 14 of the CKI General Regulations.

Is a wish to buy a home enough for removal?

No. Housing need is assessed together with accuracy, severity and duration of the record, the causes of the problems and current financial stability. Provide specific, dated evidence.

Which bank accepts a negative BKR registration?

There is no reliable general list. Acceptance policy differs per lender and product, and it changes. Have an authorised mortgage adviser assess your specific application and be cautious with lists that have no date, conditions or reservations.

Is an A2 code always a barrier to a mortgage?

No, not automatically. A2 stands for arrears where the lender has demanded payment of the credit. What that means for your application depends on recovery, the end date, your current situation and the acceptance policy. In addition, it can be examined whether the registration is correct and whether removal after a balancing of interests stands a chance.

Am I certain to get a mortgage once the registration has been removed?

No. The lender also assesses your income, your other commitments, the property and its other conditions. Establish beforehand whether the registration is really the decisive obstacle.

Must I first buy a home to demonstrate my housing interest?

No. Do not enter into a purchase obligation just to get a stronger removal file. You can also substantiate a concrete housing interest with your current housing situation, your family circumstances and a written assessment by a mortgage adviser.