Back to top

Compare Guarantor Loans

By having a friend or family member guarantee your loan repayments, you could open yourself up to more borrowing options. Use our soft eligibility checker to see what your loan options are without affceting your credit rating.

No impact on credit score
No impact on credit score
Same day lending*
Same day lending*
Coming soon
Privacy notice information
Compare loans with usave, with a soft eligibility checker, to see what your loan options are without affecting your credit rating.

Why compare personal loans through usave?

Top providers

Top providers

Compare products from a range of market-leading providers

Same day loans

Same day loans

Get funding the very same day with some of the partners on our panel

Start borrowing right away

Quick eligibility check

Filling the form only takes 60 seconds

Range of loans

Personalised rates

Get a personalised loan rate in under 2 minutes

Compare Guarantor Loans

Want to borrow money but have poor or limited credit history? Struggling to be approved for other types of finance? If you can have a family friend or friend vouch for you, you might be able to take out a guarantor loan.

As with a standard personal loan, you’ll be responsible for making monthly repayments for the full term. But if you fall behind, your guarantor will pick up the slack, making the payments. Your guarantor needs to be fully aware of the financial obligations of signing onto a loan with you. But if they have confidence in your ability to make the payments, a guarantor loan can be a good way for young people and those with bad credit to borrow.

To find the best rates and terms on guarantor loans, compare as many offers as possible. Comparison sites like ours make this process quick and painless.

What are guarantor loans?

Guarantor loans are a type of unsecured loan guaranteed by third party, usually a family member or close friend of the borrower.

The presence of the guarantor gives the lender more confidence that they’ll be repaid. They therefore might approve borrowers they might otherwise reject as too risky, including those with poor or minimal credit histories. Guarantor loans are a practical credit option for young people or those with bad credit. In fact, lenders may require a guarantor if the applicant has a poor credit rating or is borrowing for the first time. And with consistent repayments, these loans can help those people build or repair their credit files.

How to Compare Guarantor Loans

When seeking out a guarantor loan, it’s best to seek offers from a range of providers. But filing separate applications with lenders is not only arduous, it can harm your credit score. Lenders generally run hard checks on applicants, which leave a mark on credit files. Rack up enough credit searches and lenders will grow concerned that you’re looking high and low for credit and be wary of lending you money.

Soft Eligibility Check: Compare Loans Without Affecting Your Credit Score

We offer a way around this, giving you access to personalised loan quotes for you, without the need for payment or time-consuming applications and, crucially without leaving a mark on your credit report. A soft or quotation credit check will be run to find you loan offer, which won’t impact your credit file and score. Our guarantor loan comparison service is completely free and you’re under no obligation to sign up for any loans you’re shown.

To compare guarantor loans, you’ll first need to supply information about yourself and your prospective guarantor, including names, addresses, employment details, and financial information. You’ll then be shown a list of loan offers, with representative APRs and loan amounts, for you to choose from, subject to lender criteria.

Coming soon
Privacy notice information
Soft Eligibility Checker: Find out which loans you could be eligible to take out, without affecting your credit score

How do guarantor loans work?

You can usually borrow between £1,000 and £10,000 with a guarantor loan. Loans are repaid, plus interest, in monthly instalments over the term of the loan, usually one to five years.

Because they allow people who might otherwise not be able to obtain credit to borrow, guarantor loans are sometimes classified as a type of ‘bad credit loan’. That means they come with a higher interest rate than other types of personal loan and can be a more expensive way to borrow. Guarantor loans usually have APRs of between 11% and 50%. But the rate you personally receive will depend on the credit score and personal circumstances of you, the borrower, and your guarantor. However, guarantor loans usually come with fixed interest rates, so the amount you repay each month will remain constant.

Some lenders transfer the funds to the guarantor rather than the borrower. The guarantor will then need to send the funds to the borrower.

Advantages of Guarantor Loans

  • They are a way for those with bad credit or for first time borrowers to obtain credit
  • Borrowers may be able to borrow a higher sum than they would with other types of bad credit loans
  • They can come with lower interest rates than other types of bad credit loans like payday loans
  • With consistent repayments, they can help build or repair a credit history
  • They are a way for a relative or friend to extend help the borrower without lending them money themselves.

Disadvantages of Guarantor Loans

  • They have higher interest rates than some other types of credit, including credit cards and other personal loans. You may end up paying back more than double the original value of the loan.
  • The guarantor will be held responsible if the borrower fails to keep up with repayments. This can also include legal action if they themselves default.
  • The guarantor can reach an agreement that the borrower has to pay them back for any payments they make, but these agreements are informal and legally unenforceable.
  • Relationships and friendships can be complicated or broken by disagreements between the borrower and guarantor.
  • There’s some suggestion that providers of guarantor loans are issuing loans that people can’t afford. Be sure you’re borrowing responsibly and within your budget

Frequently Asked Questions

Still got questions about unsecured loans? You'll find answers to some common queries below:

Guarantors are typically parents or other family members or friends or colleagues. Technically you can use almost anyone who meets the following criteria:

  • Be at least 18 years of age or, for some lenders, 21
  • Not be your spouse
  • Not be anyone else with whom you share a bank account or other financial accounts
  • Be in full time employment
  • Be a homeowner
  • Have a good credit rating
  • Demonstrate they can afford the repayments if you fall behind

The exact criteria for each lender will vary. But the most important thing is that the guarantor understands that they will be responsible for the repayments on the loan if you fall behind.

The borrower must also be at least 18, hold a bank account, and typically be in work.

If you die before paying off the loan, your guarantor will become responsible for the repayments. It’s crucial both you and your guarantor read the terms and conditions of any loan product, to fully understand your obligations and responsibilities, even under the worst and most unforeseen scenarios.

If the borrower fails to make payments, you will be financially liable for them. If you fail to make the repayments, you can be subject to the same legal action from the lender that the borrower is. For example, the lender might apply for a charging order to force the sale of your home to get the money they’re owed. Additionally, if you and the borrower default on the loan, your creditworthiness will be damaged.

Before you agree to be a guarantor for a loan, you should take the following precautions.

  • Read all the documents that come with the loan carefully, to understand your legal obligations and the risks
  • Ensure the borrower can make the loan payments
  • Ensure your budget can accommodate the loan payments if they default. You may also wish to put some extra money aside for this possibility
  • Come to an agreement with the borrower about how they will pay you back if you have to make repayments on the loan

Once you’ve signed the loan paperwork as a guarantor, you cannot back out. For as long as the loan lasts, you’re responsible for the repayments if the borrowers defaults. The exception is during the 14 day cooling off period that comes with all personal loans. Within this time frame, you and the borrower can cancel the loan and return the funds.

Simply being named guarantor will not show up on your credit report. However, some lenders may run a hard credit check on you as part of the application process. These searches will appear on your credit file and if there are repeated searches in a short period of time your credit score can suffer. Many loan comparison sites run soft checks on the credit of both the borrower and guarantor, however, and these won’t appear on your credit report.

Additionally, if the main borrower defaults on the loan and you also fail to make repayments, your credit file will be impacted. It’s yet another reason you should only agree to guarantee the loan of someone you’re confident can make the repayments.

*subject to lender requirements and approval. Many lenders will distribute funds on the same day as approval

If a lender has pre-approved for a loan product this means they have conducted a soft search of your credit file and there is a good chance they will lend to you. Pre-approval does not guarantee you a loan. All loans are subject to lender and provider requirements and approval.

Consolidating existing debts may involve repaying a higher rate of interest or charges, or increase the duration of repayment.

Last reviewed: 19 October 2022

Next review: 19 November 2022

usave digital limited is a free price comparison service; we do not charge you for using our services. usave digital limited is paid a commission, by the provider, for every completed switch made through our website.