New country - credit score?

CaoimheK101

Hi all,

I moved from Ireland to the UK 3 years ago, directly after uni. Luckily I have no student loan or anything to pay back but I have been paying back a small loan of about €5000 ever since I left - on time every month.

Apart from that I have nothing else to impact my credit score in Ireland {apart from a warning from a phone company about 5 years ago when I was young and foolish and didn't pay a bill ((I did eventually - after I got the threatening letter!))}

Anyway, now I am planning on moving back and saving for a deposit on a house (it will be 18 months/2 years before I can even think about having the funds in place) but my question is, what happens now when I go back? I have built up an excellent credit score in the UK but I believe it doesn't travel with me so do I go back to having no credit score at all and having to build it back up from nothing?

Thanks in advance!

[Deleted User]

We don't use credit scores in the UK. Here, only your credit file is important.

I don't know much about the Irish credit reporting system, but I imagine you're going to have a thin file and will need to build up some history, unless any of your current providers report there, if you can take your accounts with you?

Thrugelmir

Building a credit profile from scratch isn't problematic. Behave sensibly and you'll be fine. Saving your deposit with your potential mortgage lender is one way of building a financial relationship quicker.