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, 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?
TransUnion will contact you with an outcome, by post or email, within 28 days. We will either send you an email or a letter to confirm the outcome of your dispute. The method of contact will depend on how you raised your dispute:
When you raise a dispute, TransUnion will investigate the data accuracy with the data provider (e.g. lenders, local council, or the courts) and provide you with an outcome within 28 days, in accordance with our obligations under Section 159 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974.
If you decide to raise a dispute, the process can be broken down into these 3 simple steps:
-
You can raise a dispute against your statutory credit report either online, or over email if your credit report request was by post. If you choose to raise a dispute online you will be asked to answer some security questions to verify your identity prior to gaining access to your credit report. If you are unable to pass verification, or you choose not to raise a dispute online, you can raise a dispute by completing a dispute request form.
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TransUnion investigates your concerns with the data provider directly or, if your dispute is against publicly available data, TransUnion will request evidence from you to support your dispute. As a credit reference agency, we are unable to make any amendments to the disputed data without first completing an investigation and where necessary receive authorisation from the organisation who provided the data. In some instances, we will need you to provide evidence to allow us to progress our investigation of your dispute. We will make you aware of any evidence we need from you when you raise the dispute. We will not be able to progress without it.
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TransUnion will contact you with an outcome, by post or email, within 28 days. We will either send you an email or a letter to confirm the outcome of your dispute. The method of contact will depend on how you raised your dispute:
If you use the online portal to raise a dispute, we will email you, or If you email your dispute to TransUnion, we will respond via letter.Here are some examples of potential outcomes:
- No changes made as evidence requested was not received within the 28 day timeframe.
- Data provider advises data is accurate, no changes made.
- Data provider agrees to change incorrect information.
- No response received from data provider within 28 days. If applicable data will be removed or suppressed from view (hidden).
What can I do if the information on my credit report is accurate, but I would like to explain the circumstances behind it?
Where your credit report data is accurate, but you’d like to explain the reason behind an item, you can choose to add wording of your choice to your credit report in the form of a Notice of Correction (NOC).
A NOC is free to apply and has no impact on your credit score. However, the presence of a NOC will slow down any future applications for credit (e.g. credit card, mortgage) as any lender viewing your credit report will be required to manually review your credit report.
When you submit a NOC to be added to your credit report TransUnion will review the wording you provide. The wording must be in line with the NOC Guidelines below. TransUnion may write to you with a suggested alternative wording if the statement does not adhere to the guidelines, which are:
- Must be no longer than 200 words.
- Must be relevant to the information within your credit report.
- Must not be frivolous, defamatory or libellous.
- Cannot name a third party.
- Cannot apportion blame.
- Cannot contain confidential personal information.
If you disagree with TransUnion’s alternative wording, we can appeal to the Information Commissioner’s Office for final say on the wording before adding it to your credit report.
To add a NOC to your credit report please email your chosen wording to: ukconsumer@transunion.com.
Or alternatively, you can write to us at:
Consumer Services Team
TransUnion
PO Box 491
Leeds
LS3 1WZ
United Kingdom
Please be aware that any NOCs which are added to your TransUnion credit report will not be shared with other Credit Reference Agencies (CRAs). You should therefore also contact the other CRAs to add a Notice of Correction in their versions of your credit report to the data item you want explaining.
You can contact the other two CRAs using the links:
Experian
Equifax
How do I access my credit report?
How much does it cost to view my report?
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. To view a copy of your TransUnion report, where you can see the information held on you, and if necessary raise a dispute with us to investigate any inaccuracies
Do the three Credit Reference Agencies (CRA) 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?
Do the three Credit Reference Agencies (CRAs) 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?
There are a few reasons why this may happen:
- (1) Recently opened opened and information has not yet been shared with TU
- (2) Information from this provider is not shared with TU at all,
- (3) this is a really old account (15+ yrs) and at the time of signing it was not as common for users to be notified inforamtion would be shared to CRAs and in this instance the user will need to contact their lender to share their data for CRA purposes.
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 Bankruptcy or 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 Bankruptcy or 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 or until the information it is attached to is no longer on your report.
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.
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 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.
Why has the dispute been rejected?
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.
