Understand Credit Repair
Repairing your credit report can be an exhausting endeavor. Many people seek the assistance of credit repair companies to improve their credit, even though these companies generally cannot do anything you can’t do yourself. If you do decide to use a credit repair service, choose wisely. Credit repair companies are prohibited from collecting fees before services are rendered. Many credit repair companies exaggerate their ability to clean up your credit report.
Disputing False Information
Most credit reports contain at least one error. Some errors are limited to your personal information. Many however are more serious errors that can prevent you from getting a loan or credit application approved. It could even cost you a job. You should dispute any negative information that you know to be invalid. Credit bureaus have simplified the dispute process. You can now dispute false information online in less than 2 minutes once you have pulled your credit report.
Improving Credit
Once your credit has been damaged, legitimate information will remain on your credit report for seven years. Public records such as bankruptcy generally will remain for ten years. There are several steps that you can take to improve your credit even with accurate negative information listed.
- Restore Current Status: The first thing you should do is make sure any open credit accounts are paid on-time. These will eventually outweigh negative information as it ages.
- Dispute Inaccuracies: Inaccuracies that are negative should be disputed. This can be done online while viewing your credit report or through the mail.
- Eliminate Debt: Pay off any outstanding debts. Focus on the larger, more recent debts. This can help you improve your credit while reducing the chance you will face legal action. Contact a credit counseling agency in your state if you want more information on how to eliminate debt.
Instead of contacting a credit repair company, trying cleaning up your credit on your own using the above 3 steps. If you need help, consider contacting a nonprofit credit counseling organization to review your credit report with you.