Credit reports: how to get your free copy and fix mistakes
Published · 4 min read · Figures checked . UK rules and rates change, so check the official sources below before you act.
A credit report is the file that credit reference agencies hold about your borrowing. This guide explains what it contains, how to see it for free, how long entries stay and how errors can be corrected.
What a credit report is
In the UK there are three main credit reference agencies: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. They collect information about how people have managed credit and share it with lenders, who use it when deciding on an application. Each lender also uses its own scoring system, so one lender may say no while another says yes.
Lenders do not have to report to all three agencies. That means the files can differ from one agency to the next.
What is usually in the file
- Electoral roll entries, including addresses and registration dates
- Public records such as court judgments and bankruptcies (in England, Wales and Northern Ireland this also includes IVAs, Debt Relief Orders and Administration Orders)
- Account information, including whether existing accounts were paid on time
- Home repossessions reported by lenders
- Financial associations, such as joint accounts or joint applications
- Searches made by lenders over the last 12 months
- Linked addresses you have lived at, and fraud markers if you have been a victim of fraud
How to get your free copy
You have a right to see your file. This is called a statutory credit report, and the agency must provide it free if you ask. You can ask any of the three agencies, in writing or verbally, although it is sensible to follow up a verbal request in writing. You do not need a paid monthly subscription to get it.
Agencies also sell paid services that send you your file regularly. Some come with free trials, so it can be worth reading the terms and cancelling a trial before it ends if you do not want to pay.
An agency has one month from receiving your request to reply. In some cases it can take up to two extra months, but it should tell you within the first month that it needs more time and why. It does not have to send the file until it has any identity checks it asks for.
How long information stays
Information is usually kept for six years, although some can be held longer, for example where a court has made a bankruptcy restrictions order that lasts more than six years. If information is kept for longer than it should be, you can ask for it to be removed.
If something looks wrong
Start with the agency that supplied the file. The mistake may have come from the lender that reported it, so you may need to contact the lender too. An agency cannot change a lender's data without that lender's permission, but agencies are responsible for their own data, such as linked addresses and financial associations.
Under section 159 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, if you think an entry is wrong and could harm you, you can give the agency a notice asking it to remove or amend the entry. Within 28 days it must tell you whether it removed the entry, amended it or took no action. If it took no action, you then have 28 days to ask for a notice of correction of up to 200 words, which the agency must include whenever it shares information from that entry. The agency then has 28 days to say it will comply or to apply to the relevant authority.
You cannot ask for an accurate entry to be changed just because you would prefer lenders not to see it. A notice of correction can still be added to explain your circumstances, for example a debt that has since been paid.
Where to complain
The Information Commissioner's Office says to complain to the agency first and to the lender if the problem lies with them. If an obvious inaccuracy is still not put right, you can complain to the ICO. The ICO does not decide financial disputes, and fraud should be reported to the police.
If debts are causing worry, free and impartial help is available from MoneyHelper, Citizens Advice and StepChange.
Check before you act
Rules, time limits and agency processes can change. It is worth confirming the details on the official pages linked below before relying on this guide.
Sources
For information only. See our disclaimer and editorial standards. Spotted an error? Tell us.
