What is a Guarantor Loan and Should You Apply for One?

Are you having trouble getting a loan by yourself? If your financial health or lack of financial credentials keeps you from getting the loan that you need you may want to consider obtaining a guarantor loan. Basically, a guarantor loan means a friend, family member or co-worker is willing to cosign your loan for you. Your cosigner or guarantor agrees to repay your loan if you default. The guarantor takes on repayment of your loan only after the lender has taken all required steps to recoup their money from you first.

If you are worried about your loan getting rejected because of a bad credit score you should consider applying for a guarantor loan. A guarantor loan will not only get you the funds you need but allow you the chance to improve your own credit health.  Your credit score can be improved by paying your loan payments in full and on time every time a loan payment is due. You will want to make sure that you can make your loan payments before applying for the loan. Being unable to make your loan payments on time will make your credit score drop and leave you in a worse financial situation than you were before.

Along with increasing your potential credit score using a guarantor may help you get better terms on your loan. If you apply with a spotty financial history you may get approved but your interest rates on the loan may be extremely high. A guarantor makes the loan a less risky investment for the lender. A guarantor loan may helps you get better terms than you would get by applying by yourself. Using a guarantor may help you get a lower interest rate on your loan. This will cost you less money in the long term and possibly allow you to payoff your loan sooner.

Finding the right guarantor becomes critical if you want to take advantages of the benefits a guarantor loan offers. You will want to choose a person that is trust worthy and you can count on. This person should have a good credit score and good financial management skills. You should choose someone who can comfortably handle the financial responsibilities of being a guarantor. You do not want to choose someone whose own financial situation will be made precarious if you end up defaulting on your loan for any reason. If something happens and you cannot payback your loan you will not want to drag someone, who was willing to cosign for you in the beginning, to their own financial ruin,

If you opt for a guarantor loan make sure the guarantor takes their time to evaluate the situation. Make sure both of you go into the loan process knowing what to expect. It might be advisable to talk to your guarantor about what happens if certain unseen problems arise that prevent you from paying off your loan. It is important for your guarantor to know they will be responsible for your loan if you die before the loan is paid off or if you declare bankruptcy. Discussing every detail with your guarantor before hand will help ensure that you both go into the loan contract with your eyes wide open.