Once you have your credit reports, checking that they are accurate, in the information contained is crucial. The information on your credit report is what the banks and lenders are judging you by. As a nation we are talking about billions of pieces of data, there are always mistakes. So;

Check Everything - One small mistake can be a damaging
blow to your credit applications.

Check the obvious first. Are your repayment records correct? Are your debts listed correctly?

Other details are important too, check your address history. Any errors can lead to you being judged upon someone else's credit history! Also, you may be incorrectly linked to somebody else's finances. Check on any active accounts you have, if you have open accounts which have not been active for some time they can cause damage.

If you find anything on your file that you disagree with then simply contact the agency and request that the information is changed. If the agency agrees, it can be changed very quickly, however sometimes you will have to contact the company that originally submitted the data to the credit agency.

Unfortunately, sometimes the agency will not be willing to amend the data. In this case you can add your own comments to your report as a "Notice of Correction". This can mean that any credit applications may then take a little bit longer to process, but it may mean you obtain better deals.

If writing a "Notice of Correction", ensure you are concise and factual. Simply explain the error and state your objection to it.

How to improve your credit rating