It can be useful to find out why your application has been declined, and what you can do to improve your prospects of borrowing money in the future.
Lenders may look at a number of factors when deciding if they want to approve your application for finance, such as:
Lenders will also complete a detailed creditworthiness (using credit scoring) and affordability assessment, when an application is received.
These assessments use a range of information, including:
They may also take into account your current financial situation and anyone who is financially linked to you.
There are a number of reasons a lender may decline your credit application. For example:
You may be given some indication as to why your application has been declined. This can help you see if you need to make improvements, or find a more suitable product.
Even small mistakes on your credit application can affect whether you’ll be approved or declined for lending. Always check your credit application carefully.
If your lending application has been declined, the lender may be able to take you through some of the reasons why and advise you on what to do next.
The reason why you’ve been declined for lending won’t be reported to the CRAs. However, a hard credit check will appear on your credit report – meaning other lenders will be able to see you applied for credit before.
A hard credit check can stay on your credit report for around 12 months. A lender will always ask for your agreement to proceed before completing a hard credit check.
Multiple credit applications in a short space of time may signal to lenders that you’re in financial difficulty and in need of credit. This may affect your ability to be approved for credit.
Depending on the lender, you may not be able to make another lending application for the product for a set period of time.
Soft credit checks are recorded on your credit report, but aren’t visible to prospective lenders. A soft credit check is a top-level view of your finances. It shows what you may be eligible for when it comes to lending.
There are a few things you can do which may increase your prospects of being approved for credit in the future.
Checking your credit report can give you an insight into your borrowing history. You’ll also be able to check whether the information it contains is accurate.
You can access your credit report through one (or all) of the CRAs.
There may be things you can do to improve your credit score. This can help increase the likelihood of being approved for credit in the future.
Be cautious when agreeing to a hard credit search. Multiple hard credit searches in a short space of time could be seen as a sign of financial difficulty to a prospective lender.
Look at ways you can improve your financial situation. You may want to try to clear any debts you currently have, or get an idea of your overall financial situation.
