It’s a good idea to periodically check your credit score. Though it may be “out of sight, out of mind”, getting into the habit of checking it regularly can be really helpful. After all, you might suddenly need a loan or some other form of credit. It’s only then that you realise your credit score isn’t as high as you thought. Improving it is always an option of course, but it can take time. So you should deal with problems ahead of time. Future you will thank you when the time comes to get a loan.

Errors are nasty surprises people often discover when their score is lower than they were expecting. These are particularly frustrating if they delay your finance plans because they’re not your fault and they didn’t even need to be there in the first place. It can be a pain, but with one in five people finding mistakes in their credit reports, it’s unfortunately a very real possibility. And the best person to keep an eye on them is you.

But, how can you find any mistakes and what can you do to fix them? Let’s take a look. Here’s how to correct errors on your reports with all three of the main credit reference agencies (CRAs for short) in the UK. These are Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. You’ll want to make sure your information is sorted on all three as one could be holding an error the others aren’t.

How can I correct errors on my credit report?

Check your credit report

The first thing we suggest is that you actually check in on your credit report with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion to see how it’s looking, you can take a look at your credit report without a fee and without negatively impacting it by using one of these trusted services:

ClearScore (uses Equifax data)*‍‍

Experian App (uses Experian data)

Intuit Credit Karma (uses TransUnion data)

*For transparency,  if you sign up for ClearScore using this link we receive a small commission.
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Once you are able to see your credit report you can get a fairly good idea if there might be any mistakes. If the score is a lot lower than it should be — and particularly if you know you’ve been careful with your finances — it could be a sign that something isn’t quite right.

Here are some examples of common mistakes found on credit reports to help you identify any on yours.

Common mistakes on credit reports

This is a short guide to some of the more commonly found errors on credit reports. Use this to check yours and quickly spot any issues:

• Incorrect personal information and errors on your identity. Check your name is spelled correctly, and there aren’t any issues with your address or your date of birth. You might also find that somebody who has a similar name to yours is accidentally turning up on your profile.
  
  
• Incorrect account information from identity theft. It’s unfortunate, but identity theft is an ever present reality in our lives. With increasing sophistication, criminals are able to use your information to set up accounts or use your money. You could have something hurting your score that you didn’t even know about.
  
  
• Previous housemates or ex-partners are still financially linked to you. Having joint accounts with people can be harmful if the other person is not good at handling their finances. If you notice the name from someone in your past popping up on your report, ask to have them removed.
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• Closed accounts showing as open accounts. If there has been a change in the status of an account but it has not been properly updated, it could be creating a problem on your report. If there has been at least 45 days between the account closing and the report not being updated, let the CRA know.
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• Duplicate accounts. You could be showing on two different accounts causing problems for your score. This might be under slightly different names for example.
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• Inaccurate payment history. There could be incorrect information showing that payments have been reported late or missing, or that balance and credit limit information is outdated. Additionally, having the wrong account dates on your account could be an issue.
  

How to correct a mistake on your credit report

If you find an error, it’s possible that it’s affecting your score. The good news is that you can do something about it. With so many records on their databases, it is highly unlikely that the CRAs will spot and fix things themselves. So it is up to you, but you do have the power to change anything that is wrong.

The first thing you should do is contact the CRA which is showing the mistake and the company that provided them with the information. We’ll take you through how to do this with both

How do I contact the Credit Reference Agencies to correct errors?

As soon as you find an error on your report you should dispute it with the relevant CRA. As mentioned before, the so-called Big Three in the UK are Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.

To make a dispute, contact the CRA in writing to outline what you think is wrong, how it might have happened and include any information or documentation you think will be relevant to support your theory. Here’s a checklist for everything you want to include when contacting them:

• Your contact information
  
  
• Report reference number (where applicable)
  
  
• Clear and detailed information for each mistake
  
  
• An explanation for why you are making the dispute
  
  
• A request that the error be removed, changed or updated

How to correct credit report errors with Experian

If you’re using MSE’s Credit Club this will give you a link to contact Experian, or follow this link for a direct shortcut: Experian’s contact page

How to contact Equifax to correct an inaccuracy

If you’re using the ClearScore app, it will give you a link to contact Equifax. Or follow this link for a shortcut: Equifax’s online help page 

How to correct mistakes with TransUnion

If you’re using the Intuit Credit Karma app, it will give you a link to contact TransUnion to start a dispute, or you can follow this link for a shortcut: TransUnion’s online disputes page‍

How do I contact the provider of an error?

The inaccurate information that is showing on your credit report may have been provided by a company that you deal with, like your bank, credit card company, mortgage or utility provider.
You should try and contact that provider of the information if the CRA requests for you to do that. The company will have around 28 days to investigate the dispute. 

What happens to my dispute?

The CRAs have to look at your dispute and pass it on to the provider of the information. They are able to dismiss it if they do not agree that it fits the criteria of a dispute. The provider of the disputed information is also able to choose not to investigate, but they must send you notice of their dismissal within five days.

If the provider of the disputed information does update the inaccurate information however, they must also contact all of the CRAs who received the error. Give the agency about 45 days for the dispute to be processed and for it to start showing on your report.

While you’re waiting for all this to be sorted out, you could raise a notice of correction to let potential lenders that are looking at your credit report know that you’re disputing an error on your file.

If the dispute is deemed to not be true, the provider will request that a statement be made on your file which outlines the history of the dispute for future reference.

What to do if your dispute is dismissed

If your dispute is dismissed, but you still feel it should be investigated further, you can take your complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office — which oversees how companies handle your data.
It’s a long process, so if you’d like to build your credit score in the meantime, why not get started with Loqbox?