Research carried out by YouGov on behalf of specialist lender, Pepper Money, has found that an estimated 1.34m people with adverse credit could be looking to buy a property in the next 12 months.

15% of respondents, or 7.86m people, have experienced credit problems, including missed payments, CCJs, defaults, unsecured arrears and secured arrears, in the last three years.

Of these, 17% of people are thinking about buying a property in the next 12 months, which means 1.34m people may need support from a broker.

This number has increased by nearly 80,000 since the last time Pepper Money conducted its Adverse Credit Study last October, when it was found that 1.26m people with adverse credit were thinking about buying a home in the next 12 months.

The lender says these statistics demonstrate a growing opportunity for brokers to help borrowers to buy a home or to help refinance.

Paul Adams, sales director at Pepper Money, said: “Six months ago, we carried out research that showed the potential adverse credit mortgage market was larger than probably anybody had assumed and this latest data indicates that the number of people with adverse credit who are looking for a mortgage is on the rise.

“The total population of people with adverse credit has not actually changed since the last wave of research and still stands at 15% of adults. However, more of these people intend to purchase a property in the next 12 months, up slightly from 16% to 17%, which equates to an increase in the potential adverse credit mortgage market of nearly 80,000.

“This increase has been driven by more people with adverse credit intending to purchase buy-to-let property to rent out in the next year, and highlights an important growth market for brokers.”