Credit Repair DIY
A low credit score and negative items on your credit report may prevent you from getting a loan or finding employment. It is therefore worth the effort to check your credit rating and make sure that you present the best possible credit history. Credit repair is something that takes place over a couple of months and there are various steps involved if you want to increase your credit score.
The first step is to get a copy of your credit report. Since there are three different credit bureaus your credit rating might differ at the three bureaus. Not all creditors report to all three bureaus. You therefore need to get your credit report from all three credit bureaus.
If you have been denied credit or employment due to your credit record you are entitled to a free report. Ask the company who denied you credit (or employment) to provide you with the contact details of the specific bureau that they used. There is also legislation in place to entitle you to one free credit report from all the credit bureaus, per year.
Since the information on your credit report is never really verified, it is your responsibility to ensure that the information is correct. Be on the lookout for factual errors such as date errors, inaccurate histories of your accounts or typing errors. Make a list of all the points you want to dispute as well as the reasons you are disputing them. Do not dispute points that will not make any difference to your score in any case.
You can either submit your disputes in the argument form supplied with your credit report or write a letter. Do not forget to include copies of supporting documents with your dispute. Do not send the original documents in with your dispute! Also keep records of the dates that you have sent in the disputes, as well as copies of all your dispute letters.
Any item that is proven to be inaccurate will be removed and will result in raising your credit score.
Apart from that, you also need to prove that you are able to repay loans in future and build up a good record on your credit reports. Ensure that you promptly any loans that you have. You might also have to take out some additional credit through the form of secured credit cards. You might find that you have to periodically check your credit record to ensure that your good credit behavior is added to your credit record.
Slowly you will build up a positive credit history and start getting a good credit score that will make it easy to get a new loan with a reduced interested rate.