Correcting errors in your personal credit report

It is your right to dispute any entries in your credit report that are inaccurate or which don't apply to you. Errors in credit reports are commonplace, and there is a set procedure that can be followed to correct bad entries.

Once you have identified any discrepancies in your credit report, send a dispute letter to the relevant credit bureaus. Before you set the dispute procedure in motion though, make a final check on all the entries you are going to challenge.

Once the credit bureaus receive a dispute letter, they must investigate the entries being challenged within thirty days of receiving your letter.  A copy of your dispute letter should always be kept by you for future reference, together with a note about when it was posted, and the date you will follow it up.

In respect of entries relating to late payment, there are sometimes valid reasons why a payment wasn't made on time, but it will still count against your score within your credit report. A late payment for whatever reason, is still a late payment. In this situation you could contact the creditor to see if they were willing to adjust the information they supplied to the bureau, or failing that, request the bureau attach a note to your file explaining the situation.

This will not necessarily affect your credit score, but does make available to potential lenders an explanation for late payment which some may accept. In any event you have added information voluntarily to your report which is there for all to see.

Credit Reporting Agencies Address For Disputes