Not on the electoral roll? You must register to get credit!

foxtrotoscar_2

thebarber wrote: »

So for anyone wanting credit urgently and has recently registered to vote here is the time scale.

If you register before the 19th maybe 10th with some councils your details will be sent to the credit agencies within the first week of the next month. then the agencys will take upto 6/8 weeks to update their file after performing 4 checks but they wont say what they are.

After missing april cutoff by one day i had to wait till june for my address to be sent over but it was ok because experian staff told me its 6/8 weeks from when i registered except the lied its 6/8 weeks from when they get it. so i registered 19th of april and will probably be on around august which frankly is pretty !!!! service all round which is funny because they charge £15 for nothing as they are not rushing to help me

Do Councils really spend time and money sending info. to credit agencies on a monthly basis?

redpete

thebarber wrote: »

After missing april cutoff by one day i had to wait till june for my address to be sent over but it was ok because experian staff told me its 6/8 weeks from when i registered except the lied its 6/8 weeks from when they get it.

they didn't lie, they were slightly imprecise in the words they used.

so i registered 19th of april and will probably be on around august which frankly is pretty !!!! service all round which is funny because they charge £15 for nothing as they are not rushing to help me

But at least you will now be able to participate in what could well be the most important vote in your lifetime.

thebarber

Yes the council do spend time and money sending details to the credit companies i assume this is because most companies and banks use them for checks.
When they told me 6/8 weeks from the day i was registered to vote i asked them 3 times and they said yes from the day im registered to vote instead of from the day they get it so i made a complaint on Friday that i was misinformed. they said they would try to fast track it and i thought yeah right i called them and they said they will ask the council direct and if confirmed will do the checks. Well its sunday now and it has been done today or late saturday night. Im impressed that they did it so quick.

iTony

I'm not on the electoral role but have been registered at my parents house for over five years with the tax office and DVLA. Recently I obtained a Ltd Company Business Account with Santander and a Business Mobile contract with O2 giving them details of my parents address. They approved me of a £900.00 phone contract. My Equifax report shows I'm upto date with Halifax. My report says 311 (fair to poor), I guess this is bacause I'm not on the electoral. I do not live with my parents, I live in the country in my lodge country home that's not regitered as an address; basically I live in a field with cows and sheep as neighbours. My question! Can I go on the register at my parents or would I be breaking the law? How do the homeless get a right to vote is my 2nd question?

colste

I have NEVER registered on the Electoral Role, yet I have 3 major credit cards and have had 4 mortgages. Not one single creditor has ever mentioned the electoral role or asked why I am not on it.

Credit agencies should be removed, they are pure money making machines, with no concern over the data they hold or how correct it is.

I paid over £6000 to get my name cleared of data that was nothing to do with me. At no time did the agencies apologise, admit their error or offer compensation. This was even after the real debtor was found and was already making payments to the creditors on a payment plan.

Experian were so unhelpful and arrogant, their favorite statement was "We can't help you, you haven't signed up" or simply "dunno"! Dreadful company.

madein83

Being on the electoral roll is just one point category of many. It's possible to have a pretty decent 'score' (per a creditor's in-house formula for assessing a candidate) without being registered -- your repayment history elsewhere is another huge chunk of the score.

It definitely doesn't hurt to show continuity in address history and being on the roll, and is generally worth doing if you want to look less risky. Some people just move around a lot, so obviously it only carries so much weight.

And yes - the agencies are in business to make money, like any other. I'm not sure I'd call it a 'scam' (it's win-win if your history results in getting a mortgage or a decent line of credit, IMO), but they're in the business of selling your personal information to companies that are assessing whether to do business with you, so obviously that's their main customer. It's only recently they've found ways to make consumer-facing products too, such as earning commissions on 'pre-qualified' offers, identity theft insurance or charging £14.99/mo to get 24/7 access to your profile. I've paid that and more every month for years now, and consider it a worthwhile investment.

Decanted

DarlyPaws wrote: »

Apologies for bringing this thread back up but I have a question about this that hasn't been answered.

I am a citizen of the USA and a permanent resident of the UK. However, I am not eligible to vote so can't be on the UK Electoral Roll. How do I have this noted on my credit report so it doesn't negatively affect it? My credit here is excellent as I pay my mortgage and live within my means.

Who do I contact to have this information noted on my credit file? If I am not legally allowed to vote, I shouldn't get a red mark on my credit file for not being on the electoral roll. Any help is much appreciated! Thank you!

Read above, it doesn't affect it. I have a 989 credit score and I haven't been on the ER for around 12 years.

Decanted

firsttimerbuyer1 wrote: »

Hi

I've recently applied for a mortgage but been offered a lesser amount possibly due to only being on the electoral role from 2007-2011 at a home I've been living at since 2005.

Today I successfully registered online using the online service for my Borough Council.

Does anybody know if his will make any difference being on it from today or are lenders looking for the past?

Also I was told by my council that the credit report won't get updated until Feb 2014 anyway. Is there anyway I can prove to lenders I'm now on? What I can't understand is that credit cards etc, bank statements etc have all been registered to the same address for 8 years so why the importance on the electoral role?

Not been on the ER for almost 18 years and I have had a 989 credit score for almost all of that time. Its nonsense, the ER does NOT help you credit score. Its scare mongering to get you to register. Why do they want you to register? Data!

[Deleted User]

That's because your Experian credit score has nothing to do with your credit worthiness or how lenders assess your risk.

ER registration is a factor for lenders, amongst others.

wolfysmith12

I've never been on the electoral roll.

Never had any credit problems, credit cards, mortgages, loans, all not a problem.

Don't know what the fuss is about.