No debt but bad credit

kotum45

Hi Everyone,
Today I got my credit report from Experian. As expected I have no debt. The only financial information they have there is my current account with Barclays.
However, I am not able to get any credit cards or even a mobile phone. My credit score is very poor at 300 according to Experian. My bank even doesn't give me a current acount but a cash card.
I am not on electoral roll as I am a non EU citizen however I have a very good job and my salary is three times the national average.
Looking at my report I have eight credit searches in the past 6 months. These are correct.
Also I have 36 entries in the associated addresses field. These are not 36 different addresses but different entries from various credit searches I had.
I have been in UK for 10 years and I can't even get a credit card. Can anyone advise what to do please?

cifpower

Have you applied for a sub prime CC like Vanquis?

kotum45

I applied around 2 months ago and even they rejected me.

danielanthony

Not being on the electoral roll is a big negative, that, plus all the searches and a lack of any other credit history is probably why no one will lend to you.

I would say get on the electoral roll, as thats a biggie, but as you cannot, there isn't much else you can do then..?

Moggles_2

I am not on electoral roll as I am a non-EU citizen

If you're not on the electoral register, you'll struggle to get credit.

If you're not eligible to vote, the solution is to send all the credit reference agencies proof of residency and ask them to add a note to your credit files to verify this.

For more tips to improve your chances of credit card acceptance, have a look at the *Credit Rating: how it works and how to improve it guide* especially Martin's *Manage and Improve your credit score* article

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/credit-rating-credit-score#improve

franzthestampede

I'm in a similar situation to that of the thread opener. I'm a EU citizen, on a good salary, I have lived in the country for almost 5 years, I'm banking with three banks and I have almost 10k saved up in ISAs. Never used my overdraft facility except once, when I forgot to top up from a savings account to the current account and the direct debit for the Barclays "business credit card" I have with my employer came through. Recently, I even got BPSS (Baseline Personnel Security Standard) to work with the public sector.
Still, I just got refused the classic credit card from Barclays.

How can the bloody electoral roll be so important? How is that related to money anyway? And I don't think I can even vote since I don't have a British passport, although I'm thinking of getting one...

Can anybody help? What credit rating agencies shall I send details of my current address to?

bengal-stripe

franzthestampede wrote: »

And I don't think I can even vote since I don't have a British passport, although I'm thinking of getting one...

As citizen of the EU, you are entitled to vote at Local and at European elections (but not at National ones).

So, get on the register (which will prove your place of residence). Nobody will force you to vote, if you don't want to.

CannyJock

franzthestampede wrote: »

How can the bloody electoral roll be so important? How is that related to money anyway?

It's one of the main method of ID verification on applications, so is relevant for preventing fraud. That's why it carries such weight for scoring.