Fixing A Credit Report: How Long Does It Take?
Fixing a credit report starts with reading it carefully. You can go online and get a free credit report; just search for free credit report to get started. You can request your credit report for free once per year. You can also get a free copy of your credit report if you are denied credit based on the report provided by a particular credit reporting agency, as long as you request this within 30 days of the denial.
Reading your credit report should answer the question of why you were turned down. Now that you know this, how can you go about fixing a credit report? What if there is something inaccurate on your report or something which while not inaccurate, is unfair?
If there are items on your credit report, you can dispute them (in writing) with the credit bureau. You have to tell them that a given item is incorrect and by law they must investigate the matter within 30 days. You should send your dispute via certified mail and include any supporting documentation (for example, canceled checks and the like).
In the course of their investigation, the credit agency has to contact the business which reported the inaccurate item. If the credit bureau does not receive a satisfactory answer within 14 days, they then remove the item from their records and send you a new copy with this item removed. You can request that they send this updated report to any creditors who have seen your previous report in the last six months. You need to ask specifically for this, since it is not done automatically.
Many creditors will not bother to respond to the credit agency if the disputed item is over a year old or if it represents a debt of under $500. This means that fixing a credit report is a possibility even when there are no inaccuracies on your report! Even if you cant have an item removed the first time you try, you are allowed to dispute it again after 30 days have passed.
If you cannot have an item removed, you will be allowed to provide a short explanation of the item (this can be up to 100 words long). This explanation will be viewable to any prospective creditor who looks at your credit report.
Fixing a credit report can take some time if it contains a lot of late payments or defaults on loans. However, you can often have some items removed and add explanations of others, which will make your credit report a little more positive while you begin the process of getting current with payments and fixing your credit rating.
