Check your online Credit report

About your credit report

Whenever you apply for new credit, whether it’s in the form of a credit card, loan, mortgage or even a mobile phone contract, lenders will evaluate your credit rating report to determine whether you are a responsible borrower.

In the UK there are three credit report agencies that collect information about your past credit profile and provide data to prospective lenders. These are: Credit Expert from Experian, Equifax and Call Credit. Each lender will do a credit rating check with at least one agency before giving you credit.

The data stored comes from three sources:

• Electoral roll information – Including details of your address and cohabitants.
• Court records – Including details of CCJs and Bankruptcies.
• Financial data – Including details of any defaults, late payments and other financial difficulties you have had.

Credit files generally go back six years, so any data from more than six years ago will not appear on a credit rating check.

How can I check my credit report

These days, it’s easy to do a credit rating check to make sure you have a good credit rating before you apply for any new credit. You can check the files that each agency holds on you but it is not always necessary to check all three, checking one should provide you with a good indication of your credit score.

Your options are:

• Credit Expert from Experian - You can get a free trial of the Money Expert Service where you can do a credit rating check and the service will monitor your credit file for any changes.Check your Credit Expert report now
• Equifax – You can check your credit report for a one off payment of £11.95 and you can also sign up for their credit monitoring service for £2.99 a month. Check your Equifax report now
• Call Credit -You can get the Call Credit Monitor service free for the first three months.

What if I find a mistake on my credit report

If your credit rating check reveals mistakes on your credit report or you disagree with any information on your file, you can write to the agency and request that it be changed. The amendments should be made quickly if the agency agrees with them, although sometimes you'll need to talk to the company that originally filed the data.

Unfortunately sometimes a credit agency may refuse to amend your file. If this does happen you are entitled to add your own comments as a ‘notice of correction'. These extra comments will often mean your credit applications take longer to process but they may help you to obtain better deals.

You can improve your credit rating by making sure you are on the electoral role, cancelling unused credit cards and ensuring that you pay your existing bills on time.