Your credit file

Why we look at your credit file first. What a credit file is, what lenders actually see, and why checking it before anything is submitted makes your application quicker and more likely to succeed. General information, not a personal recommendation.

01 · Why we ask first

The right lender, first time.

Lenders differ more on credit history than on almost anything else. One will decline a single missed payment from two years ago; another will accept a settled default without a second look. Knowing what is on your file is how we know which is which before we apply.

Without it, an application is a guess. If something comes up that nobody knew about — an old phone contract that went to default after a house move, a forgotten store card, a joint account with an ex-partner — the lender finds it during their check, and the application is declined. That costs weeks, and it leaves a hard search on your file that the next lender will see.

With it, those things become decisions rather than surprises. We can choose a lender whose criteria fit, explain anything that needs explaining up front, fix errors before they matter, or tell you honestly that waiting a few months would get you a better result.

Already know your file well? Skip to soft and hard searches, what mortgage lenders look at or how to send us your report.

02 · What a credit file is

A record of how you have handled credit.

Your credit file, or credit report, is a record held by credit reference agencies of the credit you have, how you have paid it and some public information about you. Lenders, banks, phone networks and utility companies send information to the agencies, usually every month.

There are three main agencies in the UK: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Each holds its own file on you, and they are not identical, because not every company reports to all three. A mortgage lender may check one, two or all of them.

That is why we ask for a report that shows all three. Something missing from one file can be sitting on another.

03 · What is on it

What is on it.

Personal details: Your name, date of birth and current and previous addresses.
Electoral roll: Whether you are registered to vote at your address. Lenders use this to confirm who you are and where you live.
Credit accounts: Credit cards, loans, car finance, mortgages, mobile contracts, overdrafts and often utility and buy now, pay later accounts — with limits, balances and a month-by-month payment record.
Public records: County Court Judgments (decrees in Scotland), bankruptcies and individual voluntary arrangements.
Searches: A list of companies that have checked your file, and whether each was a soft or hard search.
Financial associations: People you are financially linked to through a joint account or joint credit, such as a partner or former partner.
Fraud markers: Warnings added if your identity has been used fraudulently, or if a company believes fraud has been attempted.

Your file does not include your salary, savings, or whether you have been declined for credit. A lender sees that a search was made, but not the outcome.

04 · Credit scores

Credit scores, and why lenders do not see yours.

The score you see in an app is a guide, not the number a lender uses. Each agency works out its own score from your file, on its own scale.

Agency	Score range	Free way to see it
Experian	0 to 1,250	Experian app
Equifax	0 to 1,000	ClearScore
TransUnion	0 to 710	Credit Karma or the MoneySavingExpert Credit Club

A score that looks average on one scale can be excellent on another, so comparing them directly does not tell you much.

More importantly, mortgage lenders do not see these scores at all. They read the information on your file and run it through their own scoring systems, alongside your income, outgoings and the property. Two lenders can reach different decisions from the same file — which is exactly why the file itself matters more than the number.

A score is still useful as a direction of travel. If it drops, something on your file has changed, and it is worth looking at why.

05 · Soft and hard searches

Soft and hard searches.

Every time a company checks your file, it leaves a record called a search. There are two kinds, and the difference matters when you are applying for a mortgage.

Type	When it happens	Who can see it
Soft search	Checking your own file, eligibility checkers, some quotes, and some agreements in principle.	Only you. It does not affect your ability to borrow.
Hard search	A full credit application, and some agreements in principle.	Other lenders. It stays for 12 months with Experian and Equifax, and two years with TransUnion.

One hard search is normal and expected. Several in a short space of time can make lenders cautious, because it can look as though someone is applying for credit in several places at once. A declined application is not recorded as a decline, but the hard search from it is.

Lenders also differ at the agreement in principle stage: some use a soft search and only do a hard search at full application; others use a hard search from the start. Knowing your file first means we approach the right lender once, rather than finding out by trial and error.

Checking your own credit file is always a soft search. It never affects your file.

06 · What lenders look at

What mortgage lenders look at.

Every lender has its own criteria, but these are the things that most often decide which lenders are open to you.

Recent payment history

Missed or late payments in the last one to two years carry far more weight than older ones. Lenders look at how many, how recent, and whether they were on secured or unsecured credit.

Defaults and County Court Judgments

Lenders ask when they were registered, how much they were for, and whether they have been settled. A small, settled default from four years ago is a very different picture from a recent, unsettled one.

Short-term borrowing

Payday loans and similar short-term credit can rule out some lenders entirely, even if every payment was made on time, usually for a set period after the loan.

How much of your credit you use

Balances that sit close to their limits suggest borrowing is being relied on. Balances well within limits, paid down over time, suggest the opposite.

Buy now, pay later

Buy now, pay later has been regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority since July 2026. Some providers share information with the credit agencies, and lenders increasingly ask about it and see it in bank statements.

Address and identity

Being on the electoral roll at your current address, and having your address history recorded consistently, makes it simple for a lender to confirm who you are.

Financial associations

If you have had joint credit with someone, their file can be considered alongside yours. After a relationship ends, you can ask the agencies to remove the link once there is no longer any joint credit.

07 · How long things stay

How long things stay on your file.

Item	How long it stays	Worth knowing
Missed or late payments	6 years from the date recorded	Their weight with lenders fades well before they disappear.
Defaults	6 years from the default date	Settling it changes its status to “satisfied” but not the removal date.
County Court Judgments	6 years, in England and Wales	Removed entirely if paid in full within one month of the judgment.
Bankruptcy and IVAs	Usually 6 years	Specialist lenders may still consider an application.
Hard searches	12 months (Experian, Equifax); 2 years (TransUnion)	Their effect fades over the months they are visible.

Timing can matter a great deal. If a default is due to drop off your file in a few months, it may make sense to wait — or it may not, if a suitable lender would accept it now. That is the kind of decision we can only help you make with your file in front of us.

08 · How it helps your application

How it helps your application.

The first lender is the right one. We match your history to lenders whose criteria fit it, rather than applying and hoping.
No avoidable hard searches. Fewer applications means fewer searches on your file, and a cleaner position if you ever need to apply again.
Errors fixed before they count. Mistakes on credit files are common. Corrections can take up to 28 days, so finding them early keeps your timeline intact.
Everything declared from the start. Lenders compare what you tell them with what your file shows. When the two match, underwriting is quicker and there is nothing to explain after the event.
Affordability worked out properly. Every monthly commitment on your file goes into the numbers, so the amount we look at borrowing is realistic from day one.
Old links found and cleared. A former partner, an old address or an account you thought was closed can all be dealt with before a lender sees them.
Fraud spotted. An account or search you do not recognise is worth knowing about, whatever happens with the mortgage.

09 · How to get your file

How to get your file.

We ask for a Checkmyfile report, because it shows Experian, Equifax and TransUnion together in one document that is easy to send.

Sign up at checkmyfile.com. It starts with a 7-day free trial.
Once your report has loaded, scroll to the bottom and choose Download Printable Report to save it as a PDF.
If you do not want to keep the service, cancel before the trial ends. After the trial it is a monthly subscription (£14.99 a month at the time of writing), and you can cancel online at any time.

Signing up leaves a soft search, which only you can see. It does not affect your file or your ability to borrow.

Free alternatives

If you would rather not start a trial, you can see all three files free of charge, using one service for each agency:

Agency	Free service
Experian	The Experian app
Equifax	ClearScore
TransUnion	Credit Karma, or the MoneySavingExpert Credit Club

You are also legally entitled to a free statutory credit report from each agency on request. The free services take a little longer, and you would send us three reports instead of one, but the information is the same.

10 · Sending it to us

Sending it to us.

We send a link with your fact-find. Return the report alongside your completed fact-find, and we review both together before anything goes to a lender.

Your credit report contains personal information, so send it the way we ask rather than through social media or an unconfirmed email address. If you are applying with someone else, we need a report for each of you.

If anything on it worries you, say so when you send it. Most things that look alarming on a credit file have a straightforward explanation, and it is far easier to deal with them now than in the middle of an application.

11 · If something is wrong

If something is wrong.

Contact the company that reported it. They supplied the information and can correct it directly, which is usually quickest.
Or raise a dispute with the agency. The agency contacts the company on your behalf and has 28 days to respond. While it investigates, the entry is marked as disputed.
Add a notice of correction if the information is accurate but needs context, or if a dispute does not resolve it. This is a statement of up to 200 words, added to your file, that lenders can read.
Escalate if needed. If an agency will not correct information you believe is wrong, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Correct each agency separately: fixing an entry with one does not change it with the others.

12 · Getting ready to apply

Getting ready to apply.

None of these are quick fixes, and none of them need to be done perfectly. They simply put your file in the clearest position before a lender reads it.

Register on the electoral roll at your current address, if you are eligible.
Keep every payment up to date — the most recent months carry the most weight.
Avoid new credit applications in the months before applying for a mortgage, including store cards, car finance and phone upgrades on finance.
Keep balances well within their limits where you can.
Remove old financial links to a former partner once there is no joint credit between you.
Check your bank statements as well. Lenders read them alongside your file, including regular payments, overdraft use and buy now, pay later.

13 · Sources

Sources and further reading.

Information on this page is correct as at October 2026. Score ranges, service prices and trial lengths can change.

Ready when you are.

Send your report with your fact-find and we will tell you, before anything is submitted, which lenders fit and whether there is anything worth doing first.

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