Use this guide before applying for a mortgage, loan or rental, after being turned down for credit, or if you suspect identity fraud. Have your current and previous addresses from the last six years, your ID and a list of your credit accounts ready.
Step by step
Get your reports from all three agencies
The main UK credit reference agencies are Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, and each may hold slightly different information. You have a legal right to see your statutory credit report free of charge. Get all three so you have the full picture.
Check your personal details
Make sure your name, date of birth and addresses are correct. Check you are registered on the electoral roll at your current address, as this helps lenders confirm your identity. You can register to vote through GOV.UK.
Review every account
Go through each credit card, loan, mobile contract and utility account listed. Check balances, credit limits and payment history for missed payments you did not make. Close old accounts you no longer need only after thinking about the effect on your available credit.
Look for signs of fraud
Watch for accounts or searches you do not recognise, or addresses you have never lived at. If you spot these, contact the lender straight away and report it to Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud). Consider a protective registration through Cifas to add extra checks on applications in your name.
Dispute mistakes
Contact the credit reference agency showing the error and raise a dispute, providing evidence such as statements. The agency will usually check with the lender. You can also contact the lender directly and ask them to correct the data with all three agencies.
Add a notice of correction if needed
If information is accurate but there is an important explanation, such as a missed payment during serious illness, you can add a short notice of correction to your file. Lenders may read this when deciding. If a dispute is not resolved, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office or the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Ready-to-use checklist
- Reports from Experian, Equifax and TransUnion
- Personal details and addresses checked
- On the electoral roll at current address
- Every account reviewed
- Unknown accounts or searches noted
- Disputes raised with evidence
- Lender contacted about errors
- Next check date in calendar
Practical tips
- Check your credit file at least once a year and a few months before any big application.
- Remove financial links to former partners you no longer share accounts with by asking for a notice of disassociation.
- Use eligibility checkers that do a soft search before applying so you avoid unnecessary hard searches.
Common problems
A missed payment shows that I know I paid on time.
Gather bank statements showing the payment date and send them to the lender asking them to correct the record. Raise a dispute with the credit reference agency at the same time. Keep copies of all correspondence.
My file still links me to an ex-partner.
If you no longer have any joint accounts, you can ask each credit reference agency for a notice of disassociation. They may need to check that all joint accounts are closed first.
I found a loan I never took out.
Contact the lender's fraud team immediately and report it to Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud). Ask the lender to remove the account from your file once investigated. Consider Cifas protective registration and change your key passwords.