Who can see your credit report?
Your credit report is held securely with credit reference agencies, and only be accessed by companies who have a legitimate reason for doing so. The main reason is usually because you have applied for credit with them.
Companies who look at your credit report
- Mortgage providers
- Creditors
- Banks
- Lenders
- Utility companies
- Employers
- Letting agents and landlords
- Debt collection agencies
- Insurance companies
- Government agencies
Mortgage providers
A standard procedure as part of the mortgage application process, providers will verify the information you have given through your credit report, as well as their own records if you are already a customer with them. Checking your report helps them to determine whether you are a reliable borrower.
Lenders
Creditors or lenders will check your credit report if you have made a loan or credit card application. This is to see how creditworthy you are by checking how you have handled credit in the past. This information is used to determine the likelihood of you paying back the loan promptly, and what risk this poses to them. Looking at your credit report can also be used to determine the interest rate you receive and what you can borrow.
Banks
It is common for banks to check your credit report if you are applying for a new bank account as this can easily confirm your identity. It could also be used to assess your creditworthiness and whether to approve your bank account application.
Utility companies
Gas, water and electricity providers will check your credit report to see how well you have maned previous credit. This is to see if you need to be put on a prepaid account instead (for example through a key meter) as most utility companies charge in arrears. This means you are essentially using a form of credit through them.
Employers
It is possible that potential employers will check your credit report as part of the screening process. This is not standard procedure for every job but does tend to be more common in positions where you may have to regularly handle large amounts of cash, or have a high level of responsibility. Remember that you can refuse your potential employer access to your credit report.
Letting agents
Letting agents and landlords commonly look at your credit report to help verify your identity and to see the likelihood of paying your rent on time.
Debt collection agencies
If a loan that you have taken out in the past is then passed onto a debt collection agency, they may look at your report. This is so that debt collectors can determine the best way to collect the outstanding balance.
Insurance companies
If you are applying for home or car insurance, the company may check your credit history to see if they should insure you, and what rate you need to pay. You should remember that having a number of late payments on file or a lot of debt will usually mean higher insurance premiums.
Government agencies
It can be possible for government agencies to obtain your credit report too if you are applying for a specific type of licence or to determine child maintenance payments.
Who Controls Access To My Credit Report?
The three main credit reference agencies: Equifax, CallCredit, and Experian all have credit reports on you. They collect data on your credit history and other relevant information, and they all may hold different information on you as they have different criteria.
Information is sourced from sources such as lenders and public records.
What Information Is Seen On My Credit Report?
Your credit report includes information such as:
- Your full name
- Date of birth
- Electoral roll information
- Your current credit accounts
- Any accounts you’ve closed in past six years (this also includes the credit limit or loan amounts on these accounts)
- Outstanding current account overdrafts
- Financial associations with others such as a mortgage with someone or a joint bank account
- Details of hard credit checks, as well as the dates of these checks
- Late repayments
- Missed repayments and how many times it has happened
- County Court Judgments
- Individual Voluntary Arrangements
- Bankruptcies
What Isn’t Included In My Credit Report?
Your credit report will not include your salary, savings, medical history, council tax arrears, student loans or your criminal record.
