The Times Real Estate

.

Money

How to recover from a bad credit profile

Having a bad credit profile can be really disillusioning and you may have experienced rejected credit applications due to this.

Luckily, there are lots of things you can do to recover from a bad credit profile, so don’t panic! It’s really worth taking the time to invest in improving your credit file to increase and improve your chances of borrowing in the future.

Top Tips to recover from a bad credit profile

Understand your bad credit: you need to figure out why you have a bad credit profile – this is the first step in starting to recover from it as it will allow you to target the areas that need work.

Whether you simply haven’t borrowed money before or you have experienced extreme financial issues such as bankruptcy, recovering from a bad credit profile starts with understanding the reasons behind it.

Check your credit score: this is simple – it’s free and easy to do and it’ll take seconds of your time. You have a right to see what’s on your credit file and If there are any mistakes or inaccurate details, you should ask for these to be changed immediately.

Avoid multiple credit applications: although it’s tempting when they’re quick and easy to do online, you need to avoid making multiple credit applications – especially fi you have bad credit. Any lender will be able to see any applications you have made and if you have numerous rejections it could raise red flags to them.

Budget carefully – this is something that too many people overlook. You can really improve your credit profile but simply being careful with your money. Don’t borrow more than you can afford to pay back. Do your sums and work out exactly what your incoming and outgoing costs are each month.

Be organised – late payments or defaults on loans are often the result of being disorganised and forgetting to pay on time or not making payments in full when they’re due. You can’t afford to do this if you have bad credit, so get organised by setting up a direct debit or alerts on your phone or calendar whenever money is due.

Consolidate your debts – if you have multiple existing debts, you may want to consider consolidating them into one single repayment that you make each month. Ask for expert help on this though as you’ll need to consider loan terms and interest rates and really do your calculations.

Be patient – it’s often tempting to want to move forwards with getting further loans or making purchases, but if you have a bad credit profile it can take time to improve it. You need to be patient and really invest in at least a few months of making your new financial steps become a habit.

Always ask for help – if you’re unsure about anything at all, you should ask for help. Don’t struggle in silence as this can often lead to further issues with your finances and you’ll end up with bad credit issues spiralling out of control. Ask for help from experts you trust and take their lead.

 

Article provided by Loans for People with Bad Credit