- 1). Get all three credit reports: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Apply online to AnnualCreditReport.com, the official website sponsored by the three credit reporting companies. You can get your reports free once a year. The online application procedure is simple and fast. In less than 20 minutes you can view your reports online. Viewing your reports will let you see ways to fix a bad credit file.
- 2). Review each credit file separately. The information may be different. Print off copies so you can make written notes. Check each line of credit for errors and highlight them. Write down the correct information, and then contact the credit reporting bureau in writing. Visit the Federal Trade Commission's website for the best way of correcting errors. Credit reporting bureaus aim to get errors rectified in 30 days.
- 3). Check each credit file for late or missed payments. The reports list payment histories for each lender you have credit with. Identify any that have been missed or are late. Pay the lenders as quickly as you can afford to. Set up automatic payments for credit cards to pay at least the minimum each month. Once the arrears are paid and a few monthly payments are made on time, your reports will be updated. Your bad credit file is being fixed.
- 4). Check to see how much credit you have used on your credit cards. Lenders like to see a good margin of credit available. Cards up to, or close to, their limit cause lenders to be cautious. Your report gets flagged and your credit file is affected. Pay off as much as you can, as quickly as you can, to bring card balances down. The faster you achieve this, the quicker a bad credit file gets fixed.
- 5). Pay your monthly cell phone bill on time, if you have a contract. Cell phone companies report monthly to credit reporting bureaus for customers who are on a contract. This is a simple way to help ensure that once your bad credit file is fixed, it stays fixed. Apply the same rules for other utility companies. They all report to the bureaus.
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