Credit reports and scores: United Kingdom.

A take-home sheet for people at the session. Other countries: United States · Canada · Australia.

Moraph for Good · Fluent

Credit reports and scores: United Kingdom

Handout · moraph.org/commons/sessions/fluent/credit-reports-and-scores

This sheet goes with the Credit reports and scores session. It is general information, not advice about your own situation.

Get your report

Use the free, official route below, not a search result.
You shouldn’t need a card number to see your own report.
Bureaus can hold different information, so check each one.

Read it line by line

Check your name, date of birth and addresses.
Look for accounts you don’t recognize, wrong balances and late payments that weren’t late.
Look for old debts that should have dropped off, and debts listed twice.

Dispute errors in writing

Contact the credit bureau and the company that reported the error.
Say what is wrong and why; send copies, never originals.
Keep a copy of everything, with dates, and follow up.

Scores and rebuilding

A score is calculated from your report; different bureaus give different numbers.
Paying on time and keeping balances well below limits generally help.
Nobody can legally remove accurate information for a fee.

In the United Kingdom

Your right to see your file. The three main credit reference agencies are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You have the right to ask any of them for a copy of the information held about your financial standing, free of charge. You don’t have to sign up to a paid subscription to get it.
How long they have to respond. Unless an agency needs more information, it has one month from receiving your request to respond. It can take up to two more months in some circumstances, but must tell you why within the first month.
If your file is wrong. Raise it with the credit reference agency, and with the lender or organisation that supplied the information. You can also ask for a Notice of Correction, a statement explaining your situation that anyone checking that entry will see.
Where to complain. If the agency and the lender won’t correct an obvious inaccuracy, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. For a complaint about how a lender treated you, complain to the lender first, then to the free Financial Ombudsman Service.

Official places to check:

Information Commissioner’s Office: ico.org.uk/for-the-public/credit
Financial Ombudsman Service: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk

General information, not advice about your own situation. Checked 19 October 2026. If an official source says something different, it is right. Free to copy and adapt. moraph.org/commons/sessions/fluent/credit-reports-and-scores