How are 'financial associations' created, and how are they not created?

scousebiker

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice and would appreciate some help.

My partner and I are very happy together, and have recently discovered that we're going to have a baby late this year. We are not married, but do live together in a house that I own. My credit rating is very good, but hers is very poor, with defaults on her file, and a possibility of more in the future (to cut a long story short, she was left with a default on her file after breaking up with an ex a couple of years ago, and their house was repossessed by their mortgage lender).

Anyway, I'm very frightened of having my credit file damaged through financial associations being created with her. Partly this is because I want to protect my hard-won good credit rating after having got into, and worked hard to get out of, debt of my own in the past, but also I think as a responsible father at least one of us should have access to credit should we need it at any time in the future.

I'm confused about how financial associations are, and are not, created. My partner lives with me, but all of her mail still goes to her parents' house, and she is on the electoral register there. Do the following actions create a financial association with me?

- joining the electoral roll at my house
- registering for any state benefits at my house
- registering with the NHS (GP, hospital, maternity ward etc.) at my house
- changing the address of her bank current account at my house
- me asking for a second credit card on my credit card account in her name for her to use
- me putting her onto my car insurance policy as a 'named driver'

Any and all advice anybody can give me will be very gratefully received!

Thanks

Scouse

sultanabran

From experience, none of those will create a financial association. There may be more but the obvious one's that spring to mind are taking out credit agreements in join names. Such as a mortgage, loan or a joint bank account.

In the credit card example above, the agreement is solely in your name, any spend by the additional cardholder is your responsibility.

YorkshireBoy

sultanabran wrote: »

In the credit card example above, the agreement is solely in your name, any spend by the additional cardholder is your responsibility.

There is at least one credit card provider who's regularly reported as creating financial associations when adding an additional cardholder.

Superscrooge

See below link re financial association

https://help.creditexpert.co.uk/help/sv635/Credit_report/financial_associations

Nasqueron

I have lived with my partner for 12 years or so, the only "joint" thing we have is a shared nectar card account, being on the electoral register together, having the same doctor, having all our bills come to the house etc have not made any sort of association on my credit record

Thrugelmir

scousebiker wrote: »

My partner lives with me, but all of her mail still goes to her parents' house, and she is on the electoral register there.

Not doing herself any favours.