Renovation and home repair can be very costly when you add up all the various aspects such as hiring professional builders, plumbers or electricians and purchasing tools, fixtures, fittings and decorations. People are often obliged to dig into their savings to finance home repairs, particularly when these are urgent and unavoidable. To avoid the damage this can do to your liquidity, a home equity loan or refinancing deal might be worth considering.

Being approved for a loan for your home improvement project can be problematic if you have a bad credit history. Banks will take into account your financial history and credit status when determining whether they can offer you a refinancing deal or loan, and how much they can reasonably let you borrow.

There are, however, still options for those with a less than perfect credit history, so there is no need for despair. As long as a homeowner has adequate equity in their home, there are lenders who will be prepared to offer them a loan. Of course, because of the increased risk taken by the lender, the interest rates on these loans will be particularly high, which can present further problems for the homeowner. If they are able to maintain payments though, and their credit status improves, they can take a further refinance mortgage to decrease their interest rate.

The following tips should assist those with a poor credit rating, looking to take out a home improvement loan with a reasonable interest rate.

1. Thorough research is essential when looking for loans with favorable terms, try a variety of providers and do not be put off by lenders that only offer extortionate interest rates.
2. Ask friends and family who may have been in the same position and received this type of loan despite bad credit. You will able to get much more information on a personal level from someone who has been through this process than you can get from the lending companies themselves.
3. Compare a variety of quotations and do not concentrate solely on one lender even if you have been told they specialize in these types of loans. You need a minimum of three quotations to really assess what your options are.
4. Contact your prospective lender and try to establish a good relationship with them. If an open and trusting relationship can be built up they may be open to giving more favorable terms or reducing the interest rate.