How to Check Your Credit Score in the UK

Checking your credit file before you apply for a mortgage costs nothing, takes a few minutes, and is one of the most useful things you can do — yet it’s a step many borrowers skip entirely, often out of fear of what they’ll find. Whatever’s on there, seeing it clearly is always better than guessing.

The Three UK Credit Reference Agencies

The UK has three main credit reference agencies, and each holds a slightly different picture of your credit history because not every lender reports to all three:

Experian — scores out of 999
Equifax — scores out of 700
TransUnion — scores out of 710

Because the scales differ and lenders use different combinations of the three, it’s worth checking all three rather than relying on just one — a number that looks concerning on one bureau might tell a slightly different story on another.

How to Check for Free

All three agencies offer free access to your statutory credit report, and various free comparison sites (like ClearScore, Credit Karma, and MoneySavingExpert’s Credit Club) provide free ongoing access to your score from one or more of the bureaus. Checking your own report is a “soft search” and never affects your score, no matter how often you do it.

What to Look For

Accuracy — check every entry is genuinely yours, correctly dated, and for the correct amount. Errors are more common than people assume, and disputing an incorrect entry can meaningfully improve your position.
Old addresses — make sure you’re registered on the electoral roll at your current address, and that old, incorrect address links aren’t dragging down your file.
Satisfied vs unsatisfied — if you have any defaults or CCJs that have actually been paid off, check they’re correctly marked as satisfied.
Recent hard searches — a cluster of recent hard searches from other credit applications can itself be a red flag to a mortgage lender, separate from anything else on your file.
Utilisation — how much of your available credit (on cards, overdrafts) you’re currently using. Lower is generally better, with under 30% often cited as a helpful threshold.

What to Do If You Find Something Concerning

Don’t panic, and don’t assume it rules out a mortgage. Whatever’s showing — a CCJ, a default, missed payments, an IVA — specialist lenders assess bad credit in context, not as an automatic decline. Get a free assessment and we’ll tell you honestly where you stand and what your realistic options are, before you make a single application.

Quick Answers

Which UK credit reference agency do mortgage lenders use?

It varies by lender — some use one bureau, others check two or all three (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion). This is exactly why your score can look different depending on where you check, and why lenders sometimes reach different decisions on the same file.

Does checking my own credit score damage it?

No. Checking your own credit report or score is a 'soft search' and has no impact on your score, however many times you do it. Only a 'hard search' — run by a lender assessing an application — is visible to other lenders and can affect your score.

How often should I check my credit file before applying for a mortgage?

Checking a few months before you plan to apply gives you time to correct any errors or pay down balances. Checking again just before applying confirms nothing's changed unexpectedly.

How to Check Your Credit Score in the UK Before Applying for a Mortgage