Get the bigger picture and see your credit history in detail with your Experian Credit Report.
If you're over 18 and you've taken out credit or borrowed money before, credit reference agencies like us are likely to hold a credit report on you. You can see your Experian Credit Report for free on the Experian App. Alternatively, you can access a copy of your basic credit history by requesting a free statutory credit report.
Absolutely not, seeing your own credit information will not affect your credit score. When you look at your own credit history this is called a 'soft search' and isn't visible to companies on your credit report.
Quite simply, lenders look at your credit report, which contains your credit history – along with your application form and their own records – to get insight into your financial behaviour. It helps them decide whether to lend to you.
Your Experian Credit Report allows you to see the information lenders use when carrying out a credit check. Invest time in getting to know it. Get it in shape. Learn all about it. Embrace it.
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Your Experian Credit Report contains information about you that helps lenders confirm your identity and work out if you're a reliable borrower, such as:
A summary of your credit accounts and how you've managed them. This includes the times you've borrowed money from a bank or financial institution, for example credit cards, loans, utilities (e.g. gas), mobile phones, store cards and mortgages.
Details like whether you've made repayments on time and in full. Missed or late payments stay on your credit report for at least six years, as do bankruptcies, individual voluntary arrangements and court judgments for non-payment of debts.
A list of people who have a financial connection with you, such as a joint mortgage or bank account. Their credit history doesn't appear in your report, but lenders can view it when you apply for credit, because your financial associates' circumstances may affect your ability to repay money.
Electoral roll information for your current and previous addresses, which you provide when you register to vote. Your report also includes addresses you've been linked to in the past, such as those you've given to lenders on application forms.
The information in your credit report comes from two major sources:
You can also add a Notice of Correction to any record in your Experian credit history. These can help explain any extenuating circumstances that may have occurred during the last 6 years, for example a late payment due to the bereavement of someone you were financially dependent on.
If you think a record on your credit report is incorrect, get in touch and we'll raise your query with the creditor involved. Banks and financial institutions may take Notices of Correction and data disputes on credit reports into account when making lending decisions, but this is not guaranteed. Note that Notices of Correction raised with us will only apply to your Experian Credit Report, and the other Credit Reference Agencies must be contacted separately.
It's a good idea to check your report every now and then, but the main reasons for checking it include:
