Call Credit can't find me ! URGENT

yaeco

Hello,

I am French and have moved to the UK 2 years ago : April 2014. I have been living in my apartment since then, and have had a bank account since then too. I am currently in the process of trying to move and have made an offer for a flat.
The agency uses a referencing company : Rent4sure, who in turn uses Call Credit for credit score checking.
My problem is that Call Credit cannot find me at my address so the referencing can't proceed. My move in date is for next week, I don't have time to send stuff through the post to clear things out. The most surprising is that I have my Experian Credit score...

This situation is starting to be really stressful, I tried to call CallCredit and they just won't help me in anyway and keep telling me to send things through the post. I won't have a flat to live in by the end of next week with their mess!

If someone could help that would be highly appreciated.

JSco

Have you tried checking your file using Noddle which is Callcredit's free credit checking app? If you can get registered on it you would at least be able to see what the problem is. I had similar with Equifax due to them having my flat number in the wrong format and they allowed med to upload my ID documents online which sorted things within 24 hours.

yaeco

Yes I have, but I can't because it wants 3 years of addresses, and I only have 2 (I'm French and moved 2 years ago), it doesn't accept foreign addresses either...

HappyMJ

yaeco wrote: »

Yes I have, but I can't because it wants 3 years of addresses, and I only have 2 (I'm French and moved 2 years ago), it doesn't accept foreign addresses either...

You will need to speak with Rent4Sure and discuss the issue.

yaeco

I finally had call credit end up by doing a manual check. They couldn't find me anywhere. They said they can't find you if your current accounts don't have an overdraft, and that the direct debit companies I've been dealing with don't report anything to them. So in absence of credit history with call credit, rent4sure, that crappy reference agency, ended up failing my application although I sent them everything they asked for: bills, bank statements, council tax, I even sent them my Experian credit score. So I can't have the flat I want to move into after 2 weeks of intense stress and am now left without a flat by next Wednesday.

This country is completely stupid in certain aspects I don't understand how you people put up with companies having all the info they want on you, accessing your bank accounts ect...

Never had any debt and being denied a flat because I know how to manage my budget without it... This is purely stupid.

Callcredit and rent4sure are probably among the crappiest agencies out there.

tripled

Are you on the electoral role?

GingerBob_3

yaeco wrote: »

I finally had call credit end up by doing a manual check. They couldn't find me anywhere. They said they can't find you if your current accounts don't have an overdraft, and that the direct debit companies I've been dealing with don't report anything to them. So in absence of credit history with call credit, rent4sure, that crappy reference agency, ended up failing my application although I sent them everything they asked for: bills, bank statements, council tax, I even sent them my Experian credit score. So I can't have the flat I want to move into after 2 weeks of intense stress and am now left without a flat by next Wednesday.

This country is completely stupid in certain aspects I don't understand how you people put up with companies having all the info they want on you, accessing your bank accounts ect...

Never had any debt and being denied a flat because I know how to manage my budget without it... This is purely stupid.

Callcredit and rent4sure are probably among the crappiest agencies out there.

Agreed. As I've mentioned in other posts, we put up with so much crap in this country it's just beyond a joke. Much of it can be fairly and squarely attributed to the out-of-control CRAs.

Thrugelmir

yaeco wrote: »

This country is completely stupid in certain aspects I don't understand how you people put up with companies having all the info they want on you, accessing your bank accounts ect...

Nothing stupid at all. Leaving the country with unpaid debts is a common occurence. Those of us who live here pay the bill. If you don't like the UK move home.

SeduLOUs

yaeco wrote: »

Never had any debt and being denied a flat because I know how to manage my budget without it... This is purely stupid.

I can completely understand how it sounds totally backwards, but the idea of credit scoring is to give an indication of whether someone is good at repaying.

If you budget well and never borrow money, then there is no information to tell a lender (or landlord in your case) whether you are good at looking after your money and making payments that you have agreed to. You might know you are brilliant at budgeting, but as far as the landlord is concerned they have absolutely no evidence of that.

This is nothing to do with you having lived in the country for only two years, but applies to all British citizens aswell. Little or no credit history is viewed almost as badly as bad credit history.

Once you get all of this sorted out, it might not be a bad idea to get one of the credit cards designed for people with little credit history (see http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/bad-credit-credit-cards), and spend £50-£100 on it each month and pay it off in full. You will then start to build a history which will hopefully help to prevent similar problems in the future.

GingerBob_3

SeduLOUs wrote: »

I can completely understand how it sounds totally backwards, but the idea of credit scoring is to give an indication of whether someone is good at repaying.

If you budget well and never borrow money, then there is no information to tell a lender (or landlord in your case) whether you are good at looking after your money and making payments that you have agreed to. You might know you are brilliant at budgeting, but as far as the landlord is concerned they have absolutely no evidence of that.

This is nothing to do with you having lived in the country for only two years, but applies to all British citizens aswell. Little or no credit history is viewed almost as badly as bad credit history.

Once you get all of this sorted out, it might not be a bad idea to get one of the credit cards designed for people with little credit history (see http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/credit-cards/bad-credit-credit-cards), and spend £50-£100 on it each month and pay it off in full. You will then start to build a history which will hopefully help to prevent similar problems in the future.

Let's just clarify something here; your average pond life rental agent doesn't normally get to see credit data about you which the CRAs have harvested. And why should they? They are not offering you credit. However, data rape specialists such as Experian and others do provide information of sorts about the possible credit worthiness of potential tenants. It's a bit of a grey area, but I think what we're talking about here is some sort of identity check. In this regard the CRAs offer open house to all comers.

yaeco

Honestly I was waiting for some of these answers especially Thrugelmir's. To clarify, I like the Uk and how pragmatic and liberal (In the classical sense, the French one, not the American one) you are. But this, this is completely wrong.
In my case, someone who has means to pay (earns enough and no debt) would end up losing in court, and would have to pay back any skipped rent, and have the means to do so... But most of all would very likely KNOW that fact, so would pay his rent on time.
So checking that someone earns enough and doesn't have debts should be enough.
Now being forced to give money to banks through credit cards just to play a game of I can reimburse doesn't make sense, it is completely wrong and illogical: 2 people who make the same amount, and one has no debt, who seems like the best candidate for any repayment ? Not having unnecessary consumption credits shows that your income is sufficient and that you more than likely can take care of your budget.
The American way isn't always the right way...especially when as stupid as this.