credit card debt and credit rating

DWhite

hi,
I'm beginning to think about becoming a first time buyer, albeit on shared ownership but it still requires a mortgage. I read a little bit about it on here and it says obviously to clear debt first. My only debt is my credit card with £1700 to pay off.
My credit rating is sort of low to middling, due to some poor management on my part some years ago and they are now mostly dropping off my file. Though I think because I have pcp on a car of £182 pm and my credit card it's keeping my score low. If I pay off the credit card will it help increase my rating? Not much to be done about the car, I've had it a year and it has 2 more years before I'd trade it in and re finance or pay it off.
I'm currently living at my partner's dads house so pretty much rent and bill free apart from mobile, car etc... so paying off the card and building a deposit should be ok, just want my credit file in good shape for applying for mortgages.

~Beanie~

Are you on the electoral roll at the address you are living at now?

Paying your credit card off shouldn't make a huge difference to your credit file I wouldn't have thought. As long as you are making payments every month (more than the minimum ideally) and aren't using all the available credit then having a credit card and showing that you can be responsible with it is usually a good thing.

Have you checked your credit file recently with all 3 CRA's? Once the 'poor management' has dropped off your file it will get better. What was this anyway, defaults/CCJs/late payments?