How to check your credit report in the UK

The three main credit reference agencies

The Information Commissioner’s Office names Equifax, Experian and TransUnion as the three main consumer credit reference agencies in the UK. MoneyHelper also lists Crediva, a smaller agency, as a fourth that produces a statutory credit report.

Lenders do not have to report to every agency. The ICO explains that each lender decides which credit reference agency it uses, if any, so the file one agency holds on you can look different from another’s. A mistake on one file may not appear on the others, which is why it pays to check all three.

If a lender turns down an application for regulated credit because of what a credit reference agency told it, the law says the lender must tell you, and give you that agency’s name, address and phone number.

See all three files in one place

CheckReport brings your Experian, Equifax and TransUnion data together in one report, so you can compare them side by side instead of signing up to three services. It is free for 7 days, then £14.99 a month, and you can cancel online at any time.

It is a good fit if you are about to apply for something important, such as a mortgage or a tenancy, or if you have been turned down and want to see why.

Your free statutory credit report

By law, a credit reference agency must give you a copy of the file it holds on you when you ask. The ICO says you do not need to pay for this statutory report, and suggests looking for the words ‘statutory report’ on each agency’s website. The agency has one month from receiving your request to respond, unless it needs more information from you.

An FCA study found that 43% of people did not know they could ask for a free statutory report. Here is what each agency offers:

• Experian: a statutory report online or by post. It shows a basic view of your credit history but does not include the Experian Credit Score.
• Equifax: a free statutory report for life, online through a free Equifax Basic account or by post.
• TransUnion: a statutory report showing six years of credit accounts, electoral register details, financial associations, public records, searches from the last two years and any Cifas fraud markers.
• Crediva: a free statutory report, requested online or by post. Crediva says it responds within 7 business days.

Free apps that show one agency’s data

Several free services show your score and report from a single agency. They are useful for keeping an eye on one file, but each one only covers one agency.

Equifax also sells a fuller plan, which is free for 30 days and then charged monthly. Read what you are signing up to before you enter card details anywhere.

What to look for on your report

• Your name, date of birth and current and past addresses.
• Accounts you do not recognise. These can be a sign of a mistake or of fraud.
• Late payments or defaults recorded against accounts you kept up to date.
• Financial associations. You should only be linked to someone you have a joint account or joint credit with, not just someone who lives at the same address.
• Whether you are on the electoral register at your current address. Agencies use it to confirm your name and address, and MoneyHelper says registering can help your score.
• Hard searches. These appear when you apply for credit, and other lenders can see them. Many in a short time can make you look a higher risk.
• Public records, such as county court judgments, bankruptcies and Debt Relief Orders.

How long things stay on your file

MoneyHelper says accurate negative information, such as a missed payment, cannot be removed early. A CCJ paid after the first month can be marked as satisfied, but it stays on the register for six years. In Scotland a court judgment for debt is called a decree, and it also stays on the public register for six years.

How to fix a mistake

1. Contact the agency that shows the mistake. Experian, Equifax and TransUnion each say they will look into it and contact the lender or company that supplied the information. The ICO points out that the problem may lie with the lender, and that an agency cannot change an entry without the permission of the company that supplied it.
2. Wait for the answer. Once you tell an agency an entry is wrong and likely to harm you, the law says it must reply within 28 days to say whether it has removed it, changed it or left it as it is. MoneyHelper says the entry is marked as disputed while it is checked.
3. Add a notice of correction if you need to. If the entry stays, you can ask the agency to add a notice of correction of up to 200 words, written by you, which lenders will see alongside it. MoneyHelper says this does not affect your score but can slow applications down, and you need to add it with each agency separately.
4. Escalate if it is still not fixed. You can complain to the ICO if an agency and lender will not fix an obvious inaccuracy, though the ICO does not decide financial disputes. Eligible complaints about financial services can also go to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which upheld a complaint against a credit reference agency in January 2026. Since 30 September 2026, disputes about notices of correction go to the Information Commission, which replaced the Information Commissioner.

Be careful with credit repair firms

Helping someone see or correct their credit file is a regulated activity, and the FCA has strict rules for credit repair firms. They must not claim they can remove accurate negative information, such as a court judgment. They must not mislead you about how long information stays on your file, or say you can get a new credit file by moving address.

MoneyHelper warns that most expensive credit repair firms only tell you how to see and improve your report, which you can do yourself for free. TransUnion warns that firms selling ‘freeman on the land’ style ways to write off debts are likely to be a scam.

Common questions

Does checking my own credit report affect my score?

No. Checking your own report is a soft search, which only you and the agency can see, so it does not affect your credit score.

Why is my credit score different at each agency?

There is no single UK credit score. Each agency uses its own scale: Experian’s now runs from 0 to 1250, Equifax’s from 0 to 1000 and TransUnion’s from 0 to 999. They also hold different information, because lenders choose which agencies to report to.

Do lenders see the credit score I see?

Each lender uses its own criteria, so a high score does not guarantee you will be accepted. ClearScore, for example, says lenders do not see your ClearScore number. They look at the data in your credit report and apply their own scoring.

How long does a statutory credit report take?

The ICO says an agency has one month from receiving your request to respond, unless it needs more information from you.

Can a credit repair company remove bad credit from my file?

Not if it is accurate. FCA rules ban credit repair firms from claiming they can remove accurate negative information. You can dispute anything that is wrong yourself, for free.

Sources

Every fact in this page was checked against these official sources on 28 October 2026.

1. Credit Information Commissioner’s Office
2. How to check your credit report MoneyHelper
3. How to improve your credit score MoneyHelper
4. Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 157 legislation.gov.uk
5. Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 159 legislation.gov.uk
6. Statutory credit report Experian
7. Statutory credit report Equifax
8. Consumer support TransUnion
9. Statutory credit report Crediva
10. Credit information market study: final report annex Financial Conduct Authority
11. CCJs and your credit rating GOV.UK
12. CONC 8.10: Credit repair Financial Conduct Authority Handbook

Written and fact-checked by the PiggyBank editorial team. Last reviewed 28 October 2026. This guide is general information, not financial advice. How we write and check our guides.