So, since this question I have cleared my credit/store cards and now have a couple I use month to month with no balance carried. My question is about my strategy regarding applying for a mortgage.
Realistically it might be 6-12 months for us to save up a 20% deposit and 'moving fund' (depending on the property we buy) - will the positive effect of paying off my cards be waning by the 12 month mark? Should I keep the cards which now have a zero balance (4) until then or close them now? I have around £15,000 of available credit and a further £2,000 that revolves each month, is that too much available credit? I'm in the UK and I don't believe the ratio is as crucial as it is in the US (I may be mistaken though, please correct me if that's wrong) in which case, closing a couple of accounts would be best - but I don't want to lose the beneficial effect of having 5+ year old accounts with perfect history (no missed payments, no over-limits, lots of use (if that's good?!))
I've tried some searching and although I've found some useful answers, a lot may only apply to the US and I couldn't find anyone who's faced a totally similar situation.