Personal details and addresses
The first section of your credit file is identity data. The CRAs hold this to verify you are who you claim to be and distinguish you from other people with similar details. Lenders cross-check this section against your application to spot fraud.
Address stability matters. Frequent moves over a short period are a red flag for lenders. If your file shows incorrect addresses or names, dispute them with each CRA, both Experian and Equifax run free dispute portals online.
Mismatched addresses can decline your application
One of the most frequent reasons UK credit applications get declined is an address mismatch between your file and your application. If your bank statement says "Flat 4, 16 Acacia Avenue" but your credit file says "16a Acacia Avenue", the lender's automated check fails. Take 5 minutes to view your file at all three CRAs and update any wrong addresses before applying for credit.
Electoral roll registration
Whether you are on the electoral roll at your current address is recorded as a distinct data point on your file. Lenders use it as a primary identity verification tool. Per Experian, registering can boost a UK credit score by up to 50 points.
Open Register opt-out does not affect this. Lenders see the full register data regardless of whether you opted out of marketing uses.
Register or update at gov.uk/register-to-vote
If you are not registered, register today. Takes 5 minutes and appears on your credit file within 30 days. If your registered address is out of date, update it the same way. By law, every UK adult eligible to vote must be registered, so there is no downside. Even if you do not intend to vote, the credit file boost is worth doing. See our how UK credit scores work guide for the full picture.
Credit accounts and payment history
The bulk of your credit file is account data: every credit account you have held in the last 6 years and the payment record on each one. This is what lenders look at most carefully when assessing your application.
Reporting is voluntary, lenders choose whether to report to one, two or all three CRAs. Most major UK banks report to all three. Some smaller lenders report to only one. This is why your three CRA scores can differ.
What "payment status" actually shows
Each month, the lender reports a payment marker for each account. The marker tells lenders whether you paid on time:
| Marker | Meaning | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 0 (or U) | Up to date / paid on time | None, this is the goal |
| 1 | 1 month late | Small dip, recoverable |
| 2 | 2 months late | Noticeable, needs prompt fix |
| 3-5 | 3-5 months late | Serious, default likely soon |
| 6 or D | Account in default | Major. 6 years on file from default date |
| AP | Arrangement to pay (formal forbearance) | Negative but better than default |
The pattern matters more than any single marker. Twelve consecutive months of "0" with one "1" looks much better than alternating "0" and "1". Lenders look at trends, not just snapshots.
Search history (soft and hard)
Every credit search ever run on your file is recorded. The two types behave very differently.
Soft searches happen when you check your own score, run an eligibility check or get a quote. Hard searches happen when you formally apply for credit. See our full soft search vs hard search guide.
Most CRAs let you see two views of your file: the consumer view (you can see soft and hard) and the lender view (only hard searches). When you check your file, you are in consumer view. When a lender checks during an application, they are in lender view.
Public records (CCJs, IVAs, bankruptcy)
Court orders and formal insolvency events are recorded as public records on your file. They have the most severe impact of any data category and stay for 6 years.
Per ICO credit reporting guidance. The 6-year retention is set by data protection law, not the CRAs. After 6 years, all of these must be removed.
The CCJ exception worth knowing
If you receive a County Court Judgment and pay it in full within 28 days, you can apply to the court to have it removed from the public register entirely. The CRAs then remove it from your credit file. This is the only public record that can be erased before the 6-year period if you act fast. After 28 days, the CCJ stays on file for 6 years even if paid, although it will be marked "satisfied". See our debt going to court guide for the full process.
Financial associations
If you have ever held a joint financial product with someone (joint mortgage, joint loan, joint bank account, joint credit card), that person is recorded as a "financial associate" on your file. Lenders can consider their credit history when assessing your applications.
A common myth: living together creates a financial link. It does not. Only joint financial products create one. Confirmed by all three UK CRAs.
How to file a Notice of Disassociation
If you have separated from a former partner and closed all joint accounts, you can request a Notice of Disassociation to remove the link from your file. You must apply separately to each CRA: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Each has its own form. Closing the joint accounts is a prerequisite, you cannot disassociate while any joint account is still active. Once approved, the link is removed and their credit history no longer affects your applications. Free of charge.
Fraud markers and notices
If you have been a victim of fraud or are at higher risk, your file can carry protective markers that flag this to lenders. The most important are CIFAS Protective Registration and Notice of Correction.
Apply for CIFAS at cifas.org.uk/identity-protection. Notice of Correction goes via each CRA directly. Both are tools, not penalties, lenders weigh them up but you remain creditworthy.
If you have been a victim of identity fraud, get CIFAS Protective Registration regardless of cost. £30 over 2 years is much cheaper than the time and financial damage of further fraud against your name. Combine it with a Notice of Correction explaining the situation if there are misleading entries you have disputed.
CIFAS marker types are not the same as Protective Registration
CIFAS also runs a separate database of confirmed fraud markers (CIFAS Database). These are flags applied by lenders or banks against people they believe have committed fraud. Very different from Protective Registration (which you apply for to protect yourself). If a CIFAS marker is on your file by mistake, you have the right to challenge it through CIFAS's subject access process and the ICO if needed.
What is explicitly not on your file
UK credit files are narrower than many people assume. The following are explicitly NOT recorded:
| Item | On file? |
|---|---|
| Salary or income | No |
| Savings balances | No |
| Investment accounts | No |
| Pension contributions | No |
| Medical history | No |
| Criminal record | No |
| Council Tax payment history | No |
| Utility bill payments (mostly) | Limited |
| Rent payments (mostly) | Limited (but Experian Rental Exchange is opt-in) |
| Employment status | No |
| Race, gender, religion | No (illegal under Equality Act 2010) |
| Benefits received | No |
The CRAs collect only data that is relevant to assessing creditworthiness and is shared by lenders. Income is taken from your actual application, not the CRA. Lenders may verify income via Open Banking or payslips, but the CRA does not hold this data.
Rent reporting is opt-in only
Until recently, rent payments were not reported to any CRA. Experian's Rental Exchange and CreditLadder now allow renters to opt in to having on-time rent payments reported, building credit history. Mortgage lenders increasingly accept this as a positive signal. The default position is still that rent is invisible to UK credit files.
How to check your file for free
Every UK adult has the right to view their full statutory credit report from each CRA for free under the Data Protection Act 2018. Multiple free options now exist beyond the statutory route.
Free by post or online from each CRA. Shows all information held about you. The CRAs must respond within 28 days. Apply at experian.co.uk/statutory, equifax.co.uk/statutory and transunion.co.uk/statutory.
Experian's free service for Experian data, ClearScore for Equifax data and Credit Karma for TransUnion data. Free, no trial required, monthly updates. Each is a soft search, no impact on your score.
CheckMyFile shows all three CRAs in one report (paid £14.99/month after free trial). Useful for spotting discrepancies between agencies in one view. TotallyMoney shows TransUnion data free.
Check all three before any major application
Experian, Equifax and TransUnion each hold slightly different data on you. A clean Experian file does not mean a clean Equifax or TransUnion file. Before applying for a mortgage, large loan or any major credit, check all three for free using the apps above. Look for: incorrect addresses, accounts you do not recognise, defaults that should have dropped off, lingering financial associations from old joint accounts. Disputes take ~28 days to resolve, so check at least 6 weeks before any major application.