Free guide · UK & US editions
They have rules. Know them.
When a lender or collector leans on you, knowing the rules turns panic into a plan. Here's what's actually true where you are, with the laws to cite when they cross the line.
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Free access
Check your file free
There are three UK Credit Reference Agencies, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, and each uses a different scale, so never compare a score across them. You can check your file free through each agency or via MoneyHelper. A subscription is never required to see or correct your information.
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UK GDPR · DPA 2018
You can correct inaccurate data
If information held by a lender or a CRA is inaccurate, you can ask them to correct it under your right to rectification. Raise it with the lender and/or the agency; they should respond within about one month and notify the CRAs of any correction.
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CCA 1974 ss.77/78
Make them prove the debt
For a debt under a regulated agreement, you can request a true copy of the agreement for a small statutory fee. The firm normally has about 12 working days, until they produce it, the debt is unenforceable in court (though it still exists).
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Limitation Act 1980
Statute-barred debt, and the clock that resets
Most unsecured debts become statute-barred after 6 years (5 in Scotland) with no payment or written acknowledgement, a creditor can't enforce them in court. But making a payment or admitting the debt in writing restarts the clock. Get advice before responding to an old debt.
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FCA CONC
How collectors must behave
Debt collectors must follow the FCA's CONC rules, no harassment, clear information, and fair treatment if you're struggling. If a firm gets it wrong and won't put it right, escalate free to the Financial Ombudsman Service after its final response (or after 8 weeks).
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Always free
Free, regulated help, always
StepChange, Citizens Advice, National Debtline and MoneyHelper all give free, regulated debt help. You never need to pay for advice these services give for free.
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Federal right
Your reports are free, from one place
Get your Equifax, Experian and TransUnion reports free, and only, at AnnualCreditReport.com: the single federally authorised source. Avoid lookalike sites that ask for payment, and check each bureau: their data isn't always identical.
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FCRA
You can dispute what's wrong
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act you can dispute information that is inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable. The bureau must investigate, normally within 30 days (up to 45 with extra documents), and correct or delete anything it can't verify.
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CROA
What can't be removed, and the line you don't cross
The FCRA does not allow removal of accurate, verifiable information. Accurate negative items generally stay up to 7 years (Chapter 7 bankruptcy up to 10). Challenging accurate items with false claims is illegal, only ever dispute genuine errors.
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FDCPA
Dealing with collectors
For a debt in collection, you can request validation, proof of the amount and that the collector is entitled to collect. Collectors must follow conduct rules: no harassment, no unreasonable-hour calls, and they must stop contact in certain circumstances if you ask in writing.
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CFPB · FTC
Free, regulated help, always
File complaints free with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or the Federal Trade Commission. For identity theft, start at IdentityTheft.gov. You never need to pay a credit-repair company to use official routes.
being in debt isn't a moral failing. It's a maths problem with a solution
Next Step
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