How to see your credit report

You have a statutory right to see your credit report by paying a £2 fee.  Your report will be sent to you within seven working days.

You can get a copy of your credit report from each of the credit reference agencies –CallCredit, Equifax or Experian.  Much of the information held by each agency will be the same but there will be some differences – some companies will only provide information to one agency.

If you have been declined credit because of your credit history, the lender must tell you which agency they have used.

You can apply for your statutory credit report through the following websites or by downloading an application form:

http://experian.metafaq.com/resources/experian/Downloads/standardAppdec08.pdf
https://www.econsumer.equifax.co.uk/consumer/uk/order.ehtml?prod_cd=UKSCR
http://www.callcredit.co.uk/files/creditfile-app.pdf

You can also get credit reports and advice in one place by visiting http://www.checkmyfile.com

It is important that the credit reference agency knows who they are dealing with so they will use the credit report information to authenticate you.  It is possible that they will ask for proof of identification before they send your report e.g. a copy of a passport or full driving licence and original bills connecting you to your address in the last three months.  It is important that you provide full and accurate information – this will make it easier for the agency to authenticate you.

Credit reference agencies hold most information for six years so make sure you provide all the addresses you have lived at during this time.

All the agencies provide credit monitoring services and you can join these by visiting their websites and they offer various free trials.  You can therefore see your credit report for free but you will be billed at some point if you don’t cancel.

If you are unable to afford the £2 statutory fee to obtain your credit report, contact a money advice organisation (details are listed in the useful links section of the site) and they will help you obtain a report for free.