Banks are required to comply by the National Credit Act in the granting of credit to applicants, so an impaired credit rating of any of the applicants can affect the outcome of a joint home loan application.

The bank’s credit decision will depend on the strength of your information and on how often and how severe the listings are on the credit score of your partner.

However, if either of you has been blacklisted or is under a formal rehabilitation programme, the banks will not approve the loan as a joint application.