Does Applying for a Mortgage Hurt Your Credit?
Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll ever make — but applying for a mortgage also means allowing lenders to check your credit. If you’ve heard that mortgage applications can hurt your credit score, you’re not alone. Many future homeowners wonder how much damage one (or multiple) mortgage inquiries can do.
Here’s the truth: a single mortgage application has only a small, temporary effect on your score. But multiple mortgage applications spread out over time can add up — especially if you’re also applying for credit cards, car loans, or other accounts during the same period.
How Mortgage Applications Affect Your Credit
Every time you apply for a home loan, the lender performs a hard inquiry (also called a “hard pull”) on your credit report. This allows them to review your full credit history and FICO score before making a lending decision.
Hard inquiries can temporarily lower your score by 3–5 points. While that may seem small, it can matter if you’re close to a threshold — for example, between a 679 and 680 FICO score. Luckily, credit scoring models are designed to treat mortgage inquiries fairly because rate shopping is expected.
Rate Shopping Windows: How Many Mortgage Inquiries Count as One?
- FICO: Groups all mortgage inquiries made within a 45-day window as a single inquiry for scoring.
- VantageScore: Uses a 14-day window for grouping similar inquiries.
- Outside these windows, each inquiry counts separately and can lower your score multiple times.
So if you apply with several mortgage lenders within a few weeks, your score typically only drops once. But if you spread those applications across a couple of months, each may count individually.
How Long Mortgage Inquiries Stay on Your Report
Mortgage inquiries stay on your credit report for 24 months, but they only affect your score for the first 12 months. After that, they’re still visible to lenders performing manual reviews but no longer influence your score numerically.
If you’re preparing to refinance or apply again within that time, it’s worth cleaning up duplicate or unauthorized inquiries first.
When Mortgage Inquiries Become a Problem
While one or two mortgage inquiries are harmless, problems start when:
- You’ve worked with multiple brokers who each submitted your application to several lenders.
- Credit pulls were made without your explicit authorization.
- Applications were spaced out beyond the FICO/VantageScore grouping window.
In these cases, you could end up with 10–20 hard inquiries from just one home-buying process — and that can raise red flags for other lenders reviewing your credit later.
Can You Remove Mortgage Inquiries from Your Credit Report?
Yes. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), any inquiry that cannot be verified or wasn’t explicitly authorized can be removed from your report. Lenders are required to provide proof that you gave permission to access your credit file. If they can’t, the bureaus must delete the inquiry within 30 days.
At InquiriesRemoval.com, our team verifies each lender, files precise disputes with Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, and delivers fast, permanent removal of unverifiable mortgage inquiries — usually within 7–21 days.
How to Avoid Unnecessary Mortgage Inquiries
- Work with one trusted mortgage broker who can shop rates on your behalf.
- Limit all mortgage applications to a 14- to 45-day period.
- Use pre-qualification tools that use soft inquiries instead of hard pulls.
- Monitor your reports regularly at CheckMyBureaus.com.
FAQ: Mortgage Inquiries and Credit Scores
Do mortgage inquiries hurt your credit?
Yes, but only slightly and temporarily. Most borrowers lose less than 5 points per inquiry, and grouped mortgage inquiries are treated as one.
How long do mortgage inquiries stay on your report?
They remain for 24 months but affect your score for only 12.
Can you remove mortgage inquiries?
Yes — if they were unauthorized or unverifiable. We help homeowners delete unnecessary inquiries quickly and legally.
Do pre-approvals hurt your credit?
No. Mortgage pre-approvals and rate checks often use soft pulls, which don’t affect your score at all.
Related Reading
- How Long Do Hard Inquiries Stay on Your Credit Report?
- How Much Does It Cost to Remove Inquiries?
- Unauthorized Inquiries on Your Credit Report
- How to Remove Hard Inquiries from Your Credit Report Online
Bottom Line
Applying for a mortgage doesn’t have to hurt your credit — but letting multiple lenders pull your credit over weeks or months can. Keep your applications within a short time frame, monitor your reports, and remove any duplicate or unauthorized inquiries to protect your score before closing day.
Our team helps homeowners nationwide remove unnecessary mortgage inquiries and maintain clean credit reports for faster approvals and better interest rates.
