The Easiest Way to Remove Bad Items from Your Credit Report

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Did you know that it’s possible to remove bad items from your credit report? You can remove any incorrect item showing up on your credit report that’s damaging your credit. Otherwise, you have the right to sue the credit agency.

Here’s how to remove bad items from your credit report.

The Easiest Way to Remove Bad Items from Your Credit Report

==> Get a Report from All Three Agencies

The first step is to get a credit report from all three credit reporting agencies. You can get your report once a year for free from annualcreditreport.com.

Look through each one of your accounts carefully. Is there anything you don’t recognize? Anything overly highlighted or understated?

Highlight any suspicious accounts. Note the account numbers and descriptions.

Some bad items will appear on just one agency’s report, while other errors will appear on all your credit reports.

==> Beginning the Dispute Process

Look for the dispute address of the credit agency you want to contact. It’s usually on their website.

Also, look at their expected response times and policies for removing items.

Usually, you can expect a response within 30 days. If you don’t respond within 30 days, you may be eligible for a lawsuit, or the item removed.

Find a few sample dispute letters online and modify them to suit your purposes. Usually, the message needs to illustrate precisely why you believe it is erroneous and needs to list the exact account numbers and descriptions.

Be sure also to be clear about what you want them to do. For example, if the account exists but isn’t delinquent, let the agency know that you want them to update the status to “Never Delinquent” rather than remove it.

==> The Next Steps to Remove Bad Items from Your Credit Report

One of three things will happen once you’ve sent in your dispute letter:

1. The agency will respond and remove the item. In this case, no further action needs to be taken.

2. The team will respond and say that the item is not an error. They also need to provide documentation stating why this is the case, including the creditor’s actual credit filing.

Look over the filing. Did you open this account? If not, you may have an identity theft issue on your hands. If it was but reported incorrectly, you need to contact the creditor directly to work out the problem.

3. They don’t respond. In this case, you have certain rights, including, at times, the right to have the items removed or the right to a lawsuit. Consult a lawyer for specific rights in this case.

The whole process of disputing a report item should take no more than three hours. Those three hours could result in your ability to open credit cards, buy a home, or your ability to buy a car at much better rates. 

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