How can I improve my credit score faster?

A reader asked:

My credit rating is very low. I defaulted on three debts in the first half of 2014 after I was made redundant the previous year. They have default dates in late 2014 and early 2015.

Since 2016 I have been paying them off slowly. One was paid in full last year and another just repaid this month, but my score hasn’t changed. One more is being paid £50 each month but that won’t be gone until end next year.

I have one credit card which I got two years ago as that was to try and improve my score. The balance is low and I have no issues with it. I now have a real fear of being in debt as I have discovered six years is a long time. Is there anything I can do to improve my credit rating any faster?

Repairing your credit record takes time

This can seem like a very long slow process but you are doing all the right things!

As the defaults get older, they start to have less effect on your credit score. And repaying the debts prevents any problems with CCJs, which would spoil your credit record for another six years.

By having a credit card you are repaying on time, a good repayment marker is added each month. At the moment these good markers don’t seem to help you much because of the defaults. But when the defaults have gone, all that is left will be the three years of good debt management, giving a very good credit score.

Expected timeline

From what you have said, I expect the next 18 months will see your credit rating change as follows:

a small improvement in your credit score as your good credit marks from the new card continue. It won’t be a big change because of the three defaults still showing.
an improvement when the first default drops off your file in 2020, six years after the default date;
another one when the next default goes;
a big improvement when the last default goes, taking your credit record up to very good.

At the moment it probably seems like getting your credit rating up is the most important thing, but that last debt does need to be repaid. Even after it has gone from your credit history the debt still legally exists and you should carry on repaying it or you may get a CCJ.

Can this be made faster?

There are isn’t much that can speed this up. Repaying the final debt will not change your credit score – but it may make other lenders more likely to give you credit.

If you can get your new credit card balance down to zero, repaying it in full each month, that gives an extra boost to your credit score, see How much will my credit score change if?

Also, your current credit card may not feel like a problem, but you are still paying a high rate of interest on it, so by clearing the balance you stop paying any interest and you may be able to pay more to the remaining default.

Getting another credit card or a loan isn’t going to help, it will just be expensive. And new credit always makes your credit rating worse for the first few months!

Look out for these problems

It sounds as though you have looked at your credit record in detail and are being very careful with your finances. I’m not expecting that you will have any of the following problems, but it’s worth being sure!

make sure you are on the electoral roll. Lenders use the electoral roll to help confirm your identity when you apply for credit. And it adds about 50 points to your rating;
check you don’t have any financial association with an ex-partner showing which could be causing you problems;
make sure all your bills are paid on time. It would be a pity to get to middle 2020 and see the last of your defaults disappear only to find your credit score still isn’t great because of a late payment for a water bill in 2018!

Any chance of refunds?

Have you looked at getting a PPI refund? This won’t help your credit score directly, but it will let you repay the defaults and clear your current credit card – all good! So use Resolver – that is a completely free service that generates the letters to ask for PPI refunds.

If any of your defaults came from payday loans, this is one of the rare situations where you may be able to get a default deleted from your credit record if the loan were given was unaffordable… read How to get a payday loan refund which has a guide on how to do this.

Want to get a mortgage?

I’ve written a separate article on this, because mortgage lenders have some specific requirements you need to know about: How fast can I improve my credit score to get a mortgage?

Comments

David says
August 30, 2016 at 11:30 am

Hi

I got several defaults back in 2011 and some in very early 2012. I have now paid F&F on all of them. I also had a small CCJ for £372 which I have also paid in full. I am now saving for a mortgage and have no other debts. Will I have a good chance of getting a mortgage when these drop off my file in 2017/early 2018? Will the CCJ still affect me in getting basic credit? I know its on my file until 2020. I just found out that the CCJ was still showing as active on my file but have contacted the relevant authorities. Will my credit improve after this has been updated? How quickly will this happen?

I was considering applying for a bad credit card to help build my rating. Do you think this is a good idea?

Thanks

- Sara (Debt Camel) says
  August 30, 2016 at 11:49 am
  
  You will need to get the CCJ marked as satisfied before any mortgage application. After that your credit score should improve in the next month, by how much will depend on the rest of your credit record, I really can’t guess.
  
  Getting a bad credit card will help your credit record start to improve, not immediately but after a few months, so if you do this now it will definitely be helping by early 2018 when the defaults are all gone.
  
  At that point there will just be the satisfied CCJ still showing but it will be quite old so if you have a good enough income and deposit you may be able to get a mortgage – see https://debtcamel.co.uk/mortgage-with-debts/ and make sure you go through a mortgage broker, not direct to a high street bank.
  
Gina says
September 3, 2016 at 6:31 pm

Hi, I have 2 defaulted accounts.
Acc 1 – £1,683 Vodafone default date 02/7/2011
Acc 2- £358 very.com default date 10/5/12

Does that mean account 1 will clear of my credit record around 2/7/17 and acc 2 will clear around 10/5/18?

If the defaults drop after the 6 year mark, what happens to my credit score, will I see a difference and will there be any evidence of those defaults?

- Sara (Debt Camel) says
  September 3, 2016 at 7:26 pm
  
  Yes the accounts will disappear from your credit record on those date. There won’t be any trace of the debts left UNLESS there has been a CCJ for the debts, if there has that will stay on your record for another 6 years. See https://debtcamel.co.uk/no-calls-or-letters-about-debt/ for more information.
  
  unless there has been a CCJ or there are other defaults, you should see a big improvement in your credit score when the last default goes.
  
  - Gina says
    September 3, 2016 at 7:58 pm
    
    Thank you very much Sara
    
Mohanned says
January 25, 2017 at 8:52 am

Had two small defaults ( £57 & £67 ) both are satisfied few years ago and will come off my file between July and September 2018 . Also have a ccj for £640 dated the 30 January 2014 and was satisfied on 17 December 2015 .
All my other credit accounts ( credit cards – car fainance & retail fainance – mobiles – utilities – ) are paid on time and upto date , other car fainaces by Audi were settled .
My score now with Experian which lenders don’t take into account is poor .. The question is, will my score improves to fair after the two defaults drop or will it still remains as poor till the ccj drop off on 30/01/2020 even though keeping my other accounts upto date and the ccj gets older .
Your answer is much appreciated.

- Sara (Debt Camel) says
  January 25, 2017 at 6:53 pm
  
  I would expect to see some improvement in your score when the defaults go, but probably not up to ‘good’ until the CCJ goes. Does it matter? It doesn’t sound as though have a problem getting credit?
  
Michelle shaw says
May 5, 2017 at 12:19 pm

Hello, I have just come out of a DRO. I have been checking my credit file to make sure all debts added into the DRO have been satisfied or settled which most have and been closed I am now seeing everything on my credit file as up to date (which has been a long time) my question is I am aware that the DRO will stay on my credit file for 6 years after being discharged but how can I start to rebuild my credit file now to make it more positive to make my score go up? All of my defaults will have gone before my DRO is removed.

- Sara (Debt Camel) says
  May 5, 2017 at 1:17 pm
  
  It will be a slow process, but see the advice here: https://debtcamel.co.uk/repair-credit-record-dro/