Been turned down for credit and don’t understand why? Unsure how to access your credit report? This section is designed to address some of the questions we get asked on a regular basis. Click on the link underneath each question to discover more.
To get the full picture on what your credit information means and how lenders use it, we recommend the ‘Understanding your credit information and how lenders use it’ guide. Produced by the UK’s leading credit reference agencies, including TransUnion, it’s a definitive document that can help you with your credit-related questions.
Why I have been turned down for credit?
How do lenders make their decisions on whether or not to give you credit?
Will my credit report show I’ve been turned down for credit?
Could I be turned down for credit because of a previous occupant at my address?
How can I improve my chances of getting accepted for credit?
Do you have a blacklist?
What if there's incorrect information on my credit report?
Why I have been turned down for credit?
If you’ve been turned down for credit, you can ask the lender the reasons behind their decision. Different lenders use different credit scoring systems and policy rules, so if one lender turns you down, it doesn't mean they all will.
TransUnion can show you the information we hold (what lenders access when running a search on you), but only the lender can give you a definite reason for declining you.
How do lenders make their decisions on whether or not to give you credit?
Lenders may use a combination of the following to help them make their decision:
- Information supplied by you when you applied.
- Data supplied by a credit reference agency like TransUnion. This data allows lenders to check if you're on the electoral register at your current address; if you've paid your credit commitments on time; and if you have insolvencies or County Court Judgments.
- Your financial connections — Anyone you’re financially connected to will appear on your
credit report, such as those with whom you have a joint bank account, or taken out a loan or
mortgage. When lenders assess your credit history, they may also look at your financial
associates’ credit histories, as they may affect your ability to repay money you borrow.
- Information about any existing accounts you already have with the lender
- Their own policies and rules
Will my credit report show I’ve been turned down for credit?
No. If a company makes a search, a record shows on your report, but it won’t show whether your application was accepted or rejected.
Could I be turned down for credit because of a previous occupant at my address?
When someone leaves a property, their financial details stay attached to them rather than the address. Someone else can affect your chances of getting credit — but only if you have a financial association with them like a joint bank account or joint mortgage, not because you lived at the same address.
How can I improve my chances of getting accepted for credit?
Here are some simple things you can do to improve your credit report:
- Pay your bills and credit agreements on time. Lenders look for evidence you're able to repay existing credit on time. If you forgot a payment one month, you can use a Notice of Correction. These are notes you add to your credit report to explain why you were late with a particular payment.
- Provide accurate, truthful and complete information on your application form. If you leave anything out or don't give the true picture, it could affect your ability to get credit in the future.
- Check your credit report regularly so you can close any accounts of financial products you’re not using, and check you’re registered on the electoral register at your current address.
Do you have a blacklist?
No. Credit reference agencies don't hold blacklists relating to people or properties. We only provide lenders with factual information about individuals at the addresses they’ve lived at.
What if there's incorrect information on my credit report?
If you think your credit report contains inaccurate information, you should contact the lender first. If they agree the information is inaccurate, they can make the necessary amendment or ask us to update your file.
Keep in mind, account balances are updated every 4–6 weeks. If the balance shown doesn't reflect the actual balance, there's no need to contact the lender unless you believe the balance is more than 4–6 weeks out of date.
If you prefer, you can contact us about any inaccuracies. We’ll pass this on to the relevant lender on your behalf and respond to you within 28 days.
If you think there is incorrect information on your statutory credit report, we’d suggest you check the latest version. You can do this free, online, at transunionstatreport.co.uk. If you see information on there that isn’t right, contact us and we’ll look into it for you. You’ll need to quote your credit file reference number and provide an explanation of why you believe the information is incorrect. Enclose any supporting evidence (such as letters or statements from the lender involved). Send your letter to:
Consumer Services Team
TransUnion
PO Box 491
LEEDS
LS3 1WZ
United Kingdom
How do I access my credit report?
How much does it cost to view my report?
Why do you need my card details when applying for my Statutory Credit Report?
Why did I fail the verification process?
How do I access my credit report?
That's easy — you can get your credit report by going to the Credit Report page and deciding on the type of report that best suits your needs.
How much does it cost to view my report?
Accessing your report is free. If you’re looking for more information about your credit profile, use our one-off Statutory Credit Report for a basic credit report and to make sure fraudulent activity isn’t happening in your name. You have the statutory right to access your personal credit information.
Why do you need my card details when applying for my Statutory Credit Report?
Verifying your card details is part of our identification process to ensure you are who you say you are. Your credit report contains sensitive personal and financial information and we believe it’s important to ensure nobody other than you can obtain your credit report.
Why did I fail the verification process?
In some cases, the card details or personal information supplied when you registered may not match our records, or we may not hold data about you. For security reasons, we’ll be unable to provide your online statutory credit report in these circumstances. If this happens, you can still apply for a statutory report by post by completing and sending us the application form on the website.
Information on your credit report
Do the three credit reference agencies hold identical information about me?
Some of my credit agreements don’t appear on my Statutory Credit Report. Why not?
How do you ensure security of my data?
How long will information stay on my credit report?
My details on the Electoral Register are incorrect, how do I update them?
Information on your credit report
Your credit report contains information that is relevant to your financial standing. You can access this by visiting our credit report page. You can find out if TransUnion holds any other personal information about you by contacting us.
Do the three credit reference agencies hold identical information about me?
No. The information CRAs obtain from public sources, such as electoral register data, bankruptcies and County Court Judgments should be similar, but information supplied by lenders may well be different. Some lenders supply data about their credit accounts to all three CRAs, while others only supply data to one or two agencies.
Some of my credit agreements don’t appear on my Statutory Credit Report. Why not?
Although we hold millions of accounts on our database, some lenders don’t contribute information about their credit agreements to TransUnion. They may supply data to all three CRAs or only to one or two agencies.
How do you ensure security of my data?
It's TransUnion's priority to ensure the information we obtain is held securely. All the personal data we hold is processed in accordance with strict security standards and procedures.
How long will information stay on my credit report?
|
Type of information
|
Expiry date
|
| Credit agreements |
Six years from the date the account was settled or defaulted – whichever happened first |
| Searches |
Two years |
| County Court Judgment/decree |
Six years from the date of judgment/decree |
| Bankruptcy |
Six years from the original registration date |
| Individual voluntary arrangement |
Six years from the original registration date |
| Cifas |
A Cifas protective registration remains on your credit file for as long as you subscribe to the Cifas service |
| Association |
Indefinitely or until you contact us and demonstrate it’s no longer appropriate for you to be associated with the other person |
| Alias |
Indefinitely |
| Electoral register |
Indefinitely |
| Notice of correction |
Until you ask for its removal |
| Administration order |
Six years from the date of the order, even if paid in full |
My details on the Electoral Register are incorrect, how do I update them?
If the information on your credit report regarding your electoral registration is incorrect, you’ll need to supply us with evidence from your local authority in order to update your credit file.
You can email this to consumer@transunion.co.uk or send it to Consumer Services Team, PO Box 491, Leeds LS3 1WZ.
What is a credit score?
What is a credit rating?
What is a credit score?
A credit score is a number calculated based on the information in your credit report. It represents your creditworthiness and the likelihood of you making repayments. Each credit reference agency has a different version of a credit score and most lenders generate their own score based on the information in your credit report. A high score means you’re more likely to be accepted for credit.
What is a credit rating?
Your credit rating is an assessment of your creditworthiness based primarily upon your history of borrowing and repayment. The higher your credit rating, the lower your credit risk and the more likely you are to have your application for credit accepted.
Remember, a high credit rating isn’t a guarantee you’ll be accepted for products you apply for, nor does a lower rating mean you’ll be turned down, as this is at the sole discretion of the product provider. Every credit provider will have their own rules and use a combination of the following to aid in decision-making:
- Information supplied in your application.
- Information supplied by a credit reference agency. We help lenders check if you're on the Electoral Register at your current address; if you've paid your credit commitments on time; and if you have insolvencies or County Court Judgments.
- Details about any existing accounts you already hold with the lender
- The lender’s in-house policies and rules
How do I get CCJs removed from my credit report?
How do I get a CCJ marked as Satisfied?
How do I get an Insolvency removed?
How do I get an Insolvency marked as Discharged or Completed?
How do I get CCJs removed from my credit report?
CCJs are automatically removed six years after the original judgment date. If you think the judgment was made in error, you should contact the County Court concerned. The courts will also allow a judgment to be removed if it was paid within one month and a Certificate of Satisfaction has been issued.
How do I get a CCJ marked as Satisfied?
If the judgment is paid more than one month after the original judgment, it can be marked as satisfied on your credit file. To do this, you need to send us the relevant Certificate of Satisfaction. The judgment will still remain on your credit report for six years from the judgment date, but lenders will be able to see the amount has been paid.
How do I get an Insolvency removed?
Insolvencies are automatically removed from your credit file six years from the original judgment. To remove a bankruptcy or Individual Voluntary Agreement (IVA) from your file before then, we need the relevant Certificate of Annulment from the issuing court (bankruptcy) or confirmation from the supervisor of your IVA.
How do I get an Insolvency marked as Discharged or Completed?
To mark a bankruptcy as discharged, we'll need to see the relevant Certificate of Discharge. For an IVA to be marked as completed, we'll need written confirmation from your supervisor.
What is a Notice of Correction?
How do I leave a Notice of Correction?
What is a Notice of Correction?
A Notice of Correction is a 200-word statement you can add to your credit file. You can use this to explain any entry — for example, a missed payment.
If you add a Notice of Correction to your credit file, any organisation accessing your credit file through TransUnion will see it. Please bear in mind if you add a Notice of Correction to your credit file, lenders searching our database for information we hold about you are obliged under the Guide to Credit Scoring to read your Notice of Correction.
How do I leave a Notice of Correction?
Send a letter to our Customer Service Team, TransUnion, PO Box 491, Leeds, LS3 1WZ, with the wording you’d like to add in your file, your full name, date of birth and address. Please remember to sign your letter. Alternatively, you can email us with the above information at consumer@transunion.co.uk
Please remember the Notice of Correction can’t be more than 200 words, defamatory, libellous, incorrect or frivolous. The note will remain on your TransUnion credit file until you ask us to remove it.
What is a notice of disassociation?
Who needs a notice of disassociation?
What is a financial associate?
How can other people’s credit histories affect mine?
How to check your financial associates
How to issue a notice of disassociation?
What is a notice of disassociation?
A notice of disassociation is a request from you to TransUnion to remove financial associates from your file. Following various checks to ensure the financial association has genuinely ended, TransUnion will then remove the financial associate from your file.
Once the association has been removed, that other person’s credit rating will not be taken into account when lenders are assessing how creditworthy you are.
Who needs a notice of disassociation?
If you no longer have any joint financial arrangements with a third party, you should apply to have the association removed from your credit file. For instance, you may have separated from your partner with whom you had a joint mortgage, or you no longer share a joint account, but it’s still recorded on your credit report.
It’s essential to regularly check your financial associates are correct. You can do this by checking your credit report.
Read our guide for more information about how to get your credit report.
What is a financial associate?
A financial associate is anyone you share financial ties with. It could be a partner or spouse with whom you have taken out a joint mortgage. It could even be housemates who are purchasing a television together.
Some financial associates are permanent and others are more short-term — particularly if you’re buying something together and paying for it over a short period of time. However, no matter what the reason you’re financially linked, your credit histories will affect each other’s credit ratings when you apply for other forms of credit.
So, if your partner has a bad credit rating and yours is good, it could jeopardise your chances of getting credit if you’re financial associates. This is the reason it’s essential to confirm any financial ties that no longer exist using a notice of disassociation.
How can other people’s credit histories affect mine?
Your financial associates are just one more contributing factor to the lender’s decision whether or not to give you credit. Before you’re accepted for a loan or a mortgage, lenders want to make sure you can afford to pay it back. This involves assessing your other financial ties and commitments.
For example, if you and your spouse share a mortgage and your spouse loses their job, you’re likely to have to pick up their half of the payments. This could affect your ability to pay off other debts, and potential creditors will take that into account when deciding whether to give you credit.
How to check your financial associates
Checking who your financial associates are is as simple as checking your credit report.
For more information about how to obtain your credit report please see our guidance.
In the ‘connections’ section of your report, you’ll be able to see the names of everyone you have financial links with — and if any of them are incorrect, you can issue a notice of disassociation.
How to issue a notice of disassociation?
If you have financial ties with someone, their credit rating can positively or negatively affect yours. This means anyone you hold a joint mortgage or joint account with can affect whether or not you’re accepted for other forms of credit. So, once these ties have been broken, it’s very important to let the credit reference agencies know. You do this by issuing a notice of disassociation.
Download a disassociation form
Read on to find out more and discover what to do if someone else’s credit history, who you are no longer financially linked to, is still affecting your credit applications.
Before you can disassociate yourself from former financial associates, you must ensure any joint accounts have been closed and transferred to a single name. You can then contact TransUnion at consumer@transuninon.co.uk to request a disassociation.
For more information about how to check your credit report for incorrect information, read our guidance to checking your credit report.
And for more frequently asked questions about credit reports, return to our main Consumer Help Section.
Can I find out who has searched my credit report?
Can anyone search my report?
How long are searches kept on my credit report?
If there’s a search on my report I know nothing about, what should I do?
Can I find out who has searched my credit report?
Yes, we keep a record of every search made on your statutory credit report in the last 24 months. These are generally shown in the Search History section of your credit report. Searches you request on your own file are not classed as credit searches and are not seen by lenders.
Can anyone search my report?
No. We only allow access to your report in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation and the industry rules which govern credit reference agencies. These put firm restrictions on who sees and what information we can provide from your credit report. For example, an organisation with which you’ve applied for credit may access your information, or on occasion, we may be required to provide information to the police or other government agencies.
How long are searches kept on my credit report?
Each time you apply for credit and a lender searches for your credit report, the credit reference agency will keep a record. TransUnion retains a record of all searches for two years. Experian and Equifax mostly retain records of searches for one year. This allows lenders to consider previous credit searches when you apply for credit. But remember, your report doesn’t show whether an application was successful.
If there’s a search on my report I know nothing about, what should I do?
In the first instance, you should contact the company who made the search to ask for further details. The search could be in the name of a company that’s the parent company or subsidiary of a company you may recognise. If the company agrees to remove a search, they’ll tell us and we’ll update your report.
Why are other people’s details on my credit report?
How do I remove other people's details off my credit report?
Why are other people’s details on my credit report?
A record is kept of any person financially associated with you, for example, anyone you have (or have had) a joint bank account or joint mortgage with. Any associations will be shown on the "Financial Connections" section of your credit report.
How do I remove other people's details off my credit report?
If you want to disassociate yourself from anyone with whom you’ve had a financial relationship (for example an ex-partner), you’ll need to make sure any joint accounts are closed or transferred to a single name before you contact us.
You can then contact us to request a disassociation from this person by emailing us on: consumer@transunion.co.uk.
How long will it take to update incorrect information on my report?
Why has the dispute been rejected?
How long will it take to update incorrect information on my report?
If you believe your credit file contains inaccurate information, you can either contact the lender involved directly or we can contact them on your behalf. If they agree the information is inaccurate, they’ll make the necessary amendment and update the record in the next file they send to us.
Keep in mind, account balances are updated every 4–6 weeks. If the balance shown doesn't reflect the actual balance, there's no need to contact the lender unless you believe the balance is more than 4–6 weeks out of date.
If you prefer, you can contact us about any inaccuracies. We’ll pass this on to the relevant lender on your behalf and respond to you within 28 days
If you write to us to dispute a record, your letter should include your credit file reference number, a detailed explanation of why you believe the information to be incorrect and any supporting evidence. Please send your dispute to: TransUnion, Consumer Services Team, PO Box 491, Leeds, LS3 1WZ.
Why has the dispute been rejected?
If you dispute a record on your credit report, we’ll contact the lender to query the information for you. If the lender provides information confirming the data is correct, we’ll be unable to amend the details on your report.
How can I dispute the accuracy of information on my credit report?
How can I dispute the accuracy of information on my credit report?
If you see something on your credit report you believe isn’t being reported correctly, you can let us know by raising a dispute. To find out how to dispute an item on your credit report, you can read our Dispute FAQs.
Once we have received your dispute, along with any supporting evidence we’ve requested*, we’ll begin our investigation and make any amendments where found necessary. You will receive an outcome within 28 days of the dispute being raised.
*For some disputes you will be required to provide supporting evidence. In the event evidence is not provided within a 28-day timeframe we will be unable to process your dispute further.
