As the lender will need to credit reference search you, a mortgage in principle will usually leave either a soft or a hard footprint on your credit report. The lender will usually warn you of this and ask your permission before proceeding the search. However, if you are not sure what effect it will have on your credit score, ask your financial adviser to explain. A hard footprint on your credit record can affect future credit checks by other lenders. This can but doesn’t always affect your credit rating. If a soft check is completed then your credit report will show no signs of the check. This is because it is completed internally by the lender without the need of completing a credit reference check.