Credit reference agency data is generally accurate, but errors do occur. If you believe your company's credit report contains inaccurate or outdated information that may have contributed to a decline or an offer lower than you expected, here is how to address it.
Step 1 — Obtain a copy of your company's credit report
You can access your company's commercial credit report through providers such as:
- Creditsafe — creditsafe.com
- Experian Business — experian.co.uk
- Equifax Business — equifax.co.uk
- Dun & Bradstreet
Request a full report for the company name and registered number. Some providers offer a free trial or a paid report option.
Step 2 — Identify the error
Common errors include: outdated CCJ entries (where the CCJ has been satisfied but not updated), incorrect director associations, wrong registered address, or phantom credit enquiries that your company did not authorise.
Step 3 — Raise a dispute with the credit reference agency
Contact the specific credit reference agency that holds the inaccurate data and raise a formal dispute. Each agency has a dedicated business credit dispute process. You will need to provide evidence that the entry is incorrect — for example, a court satisfaction certificate for a settled CCJ, or a confirmation letter that a dissolved company is not connected to yours.
Disputes typically take 14 to 28 days to investigate and, if upheld, the record will be corrected or removed.
Step 4 — Request a decision review once corrected
Once the credit reference agency confirms the error has been corrected, contact us using the General Support Enquiry form and explain that your report has been updated. We can then reconsider your application with the corrected information.
A note on timing
Credit report corrections take time. If you need funding urgently, discuss this with us — in some cases we can request an explanation from you about a specific entry alongside your application rather than waiting for the formal correction process to complete.
See also: How to appeal a lending decision, Which credit reference agencies do you use?, How business credit scores work.