Though it can be a daunting task, as a consumer you can easily perform bad credit repair for yourself without the hassle of hiring and paying for an outside resource to do it for you. If you are ready to perform bad credit repair yourself, then here is a guide to help you through the proper steps.
Get Your Credit Reports – In order to perform bad credit repair, you need to know the extent of the bad credit. This means that you will need to obtain a copy of all three credit reports (TransUnion, Experian and Equifax). You can get these through one site by visiting AnnualReport.com or visiting each credit reporting agency’s website on its own. As a consumer, you are entitled to one free copy of your credit report each year.
Gather Any Facts – As you examine your credit report to perform bad credit repair, look for any inaccuracies. If you find anything that is posted wrong, this can be a good thing. That means you can dispute the error and take action. In order to dispute any inaccuracies in your report, you will need to gather up some facts. These can be canceled checks, statements, letters etc. When you go to dispute this error, you will need to provide documented proof of the error.
Disputing Errors – If you have found inaccuracies, then you will need to dispute them as part of your bad credit repair. Often these inaccuracies can account for your bad credit to begin with. Each credit reporting agency has its own methods for disputing errors on your credit report. Experian allows consumers to dispute online as well as Equifax. TransUnion must be contacted in writing. The entire goal of disputing is that you need to prove with documentation the inaccuracy. If the company that is reporting the inaccuracy provides better documentation to prove the debt is legitimate, then the credit reporting agency will not remove it.
Improve Your Debt-to-Credit Ratio – One of the biggest steps in bad credit repair is improving your debt-to-credit ratio. This ratio determines not only your overall credit rating, but credit worthiness to future creditors. If you have more debt than credit, you will have a poor credit score. You should have ten percent debt to your available credit. If this is not the case for your credit, then start paying off as many small debts as you can in order to help improve that ratio.