There are only three items you need to perform credit repair (a.k.a. credit report disputing) on your own: 1) Documentation that proves who you are, 2) a up-to-date copy of your credit report and 3) a sample of a dispute letter. There is no more to it than this! And once you have those two things, the remainder of the process is easily handled by yourself.
There is no need to hand a credit repair service hundreds of dollars to do what you can do on your own. Did you know that repairing your credit for yourself (self credit repair) is actually the preferred method supported by the government? Look over FTC.com if you would like to read it yourself.
And while you are on that site, you may as well copy the sample of credit repair letters they have available there as well. It will work the same as any of the scores of other similar sample letters you can find all over the web. The only thing you have to do is take any sample letter you want, tailor it to the accounts you want to dispute, include a copy of you ID documentation, and send it to the appropriate reporting agencies.
What sort of ID am I referring to? You’ll need a copy of your picture identification, a copy of your social security card, and a` photocopy of a utility bill or other document that displays your correct address and name. That’s all there is to it! Just be certain all those documents are photocopied with perfect clarity (or they’ll send it back and demand clearer ID).
As far as the credit report goes, getting one should be simple. If you have recently been turned down for a loan, you ought to be able to get a copy of the credit report your loan officer pulled for you. Failing that, you can still ask for one free by calling 1-877-322-8228, or you should be able to get one from the following address:
Annual Credit Report Request Service
P.O. Box 105281
Atlanta, GA 30348-5281
The FTC’s site also states that everyone is allowed one free copy of their credit report every year, so if you haven’t gotten one yet, ask for one. Forget paying a credit repair company to do something you can do for yourself. The only things you will need to pay for are the printing costs associated with the letters and the stamps to mail them with.
