Credit card debt and bad credit history when applying

Hello,

I recently read that as part of Good Character they check the applicants debts and financial history. I could not find any figures on the net so I decided to ask here, and hopefully this will help not only me but others as well.

So, my current state of things is:
- I have £2900 debt in credit cards.
- 1 Late Account
- 1 Case of Arrears
- 2 Defaulted Accounts
- 3 Arrangements
- No CCJ

That is all mostly dating from 2013 (apart from the debt that was gradually accumulating) but still appears on my credit file.

Should I be worried when applying? Do you think it would be better idea to pay off the CC loan before submitting the application?