Credit rating confusion

joea9

Hi,

I've recently tried to get a new mobile phone contract, but it's been turned down based on my credit history...this is the first time I've ever given much though to my credit rating.

I've been renting for years, I've had mobile phone contracts for years, I've bought many things over the years and have paid monthly, and have never missed a payment on anything.

So now I'm confused, how can I possibly have a bad credit rating? To the extent that I can't even get a phone?
This has got me wondering, is your credit rating affected by the property you're living in? Seeing as I rent, is it possible there is bad credit attached to the property? If so, how is that my fault, and what can I do about it?

The credit company that checked my history was equifax, but it looks like they want me to jump through hoops just to find out what my records are. I can't sign up to their website because they make you register a card (it wont recognise my card as valid)...I've called them up and I couldn't get the person on the other end of the phone to understand what I was saying.

Also, I've been told in the past that any check on your credit rating counts as a negative on your credit rating...is that true? In that case I could be doing more harm than good in checking it?
I asked equifax if this was the case but they wouldn't answer me.

One last question, I have an application going through for a mortgage at the moment...if I have, for some reason, failed a credit check for a mobile phone, how on earth am I going to get a mortgage approved?

I find this all extremely frustrating as I have done nothing in my life to deserve anything negative on my credit history, and I can't get any information out of anyone to find out what's going on....


Can anyone help me out?

DevCoder

Credit is attached to people not property.

Checks on your rating through CRA's have no influence on your rating.

No lender uses the CRA's scoring, they all have their own internal scores.

Try one of the other CRA's, you full report is available for £2 iirc.

joea9

Just curious then, how come every company checking credit wants to know where you've lived for the last 3 years?

Thanks I'll try another CRA then.

Maybe the mortgage application process is the reason my mobile phone contract was declined? I've read somewhere that numerous credit checks near to each other will flag up as a negative...