Not being on the Electoral Roll - No credit!
 

That's what I have discovered when applying for a new mobile phone! :D
Wife and I moved house around 6 months ago.

My shock came today when a phone company refused to give me a mobile phone because of my credit score (even though I already have one!). When I actually checked my credit profile, there it was, in big red letters that I was not on the electoral roll! But yet all my other credit scores, bar a search for a new credit card 4 months ago, were spot on.

Have now requested forms from the council and will complete them asap to get us registered.
I was just amazed that just by not being on the electoral (even though I had been before I moved) could effect my credit rating so badly!
Also, it appears that the search the credit card company did also shows up on my wifes credit file, even though I didn't even mention her. Is this correct?

I quite definitely wasnt on the roll when lived aboard , and getting a phone/line wasnt a problem

This was predominantly before 2002 and Nu Labia bankrupting the country - which may have something to do with it

Might take a while for the Electoral details to show with the likes of Experian/Equifax so be patient. The fact they check the Electoral details is more of a fraud thing than credit itself.

As for your wife's details, she'll show on any account that you hold jointly. If it's incorrect, you need to let the credit card company know.

This is all based on the fact I used to be an underwriter, but that was over 7 years ago, things may have changed slightly!

I had the same situation with credit due to not being on the electoral roll! That seems to play a major part of it now! I have done the same as you and sent the forms in registering and the woman said I would be on there by the election in may, probably before.

Hope you get it sorted

Doug

Fecking annoying as I have never defaulted on a payment of any kind in my life! I read that it will take 28 days to appear on the roll once council have details.
I think it absolutely crazy. Especially when you can see all my past details are 100%. :razz:

Herself had the same problem, she moved over to Norn Iron from Stoke a few years ago and never registered the move on the Roll, she was getting marked down dispite having a flawless credit history and 4 credit and numerous store cards / accounts.

She registered her new address and her credit score jumped up by a lot

windyboy

They take a risk based approach fella ... not on the Roll = why?!! Ergo no credit, QED IMHO.

TX.

There is an extremely good reason for the ER check.

Identity theft is much harder if they use the ER. Just imagine that someone had your details - of course they don't want to use your address. They want to use a new address.

Not possible with this type of credit checking.

A good thing in my opinion (I have been 'cloned' at least twice to my knowledge!)

Not sure if I can agree with that, Trout. The clown next door to us, tried to get a CLE from the council using our address. The council did not even notice. I had to contact them, and get the application removed, and send them an email to show I was the legal owner of my address, even though I had been paying council tax for the last 13 years. It took 2 months, to sort it out. Useless cretins.
I got loads of guff from builders and such asking for the business.
The ER showed us as the owners, but it did not stop him trying it on and nearly getting away with it.
I have also had a raging argument with a mobile phone company, who were insistant we were not the legal owners of our property, thanks to that application.

What is a CLE?

That is a Land Registry issue not an ER issue.

The ER has nothing to do with ownership, it merely demonstrates (claimed) residency.

Why would a mobile phone company have anything to do with legal ownership of property? They want to know where you live and may want to know of you own, rent or mortgage.

He turned a tack room into a house, moved people in, and apparently if you can prove they have lived there for four years, it can be changed to such.
Certificate of Lawful Existence. He had no proof, so used our address to get bills, etc to prove people had lived there for over 4 years, hoping he could use our household bills as proof. Luckily our postie is on the ball :thumb:

OK - but none of that has anything to do with the Electoral Roll and it's use in credit checking :)

Really, so how did the person who used my address, get a mobile phone contract, using my address, which incidently, was cancelled, the minute we contacted them. Same neighbour, btw

What you just said in your last post is not what you said in your first one.

How they did they do that, who knows? If they falsified their details then maybe that also had put their names on the ER at your address? Easily done.

Or the mobile company did not use, or ignored the ER in their credit checking process.

The ER is not proof of title, it is merely a statement of residence and is used widely for credit checking, I still hold, with good reason.

You seem to have had some special circumstances, but really nothing to do with the ER.

If it's easily done then the ER is hardly working as a prevention to fraud and therefore shouldn't be taken as gospel by the credit agencies.

But in this case it was 'address theft' not identity theft.

The point of credit checking is not to be absolute it is to triangulate a number of factors. If you are not on the ER then that is a good basis for checking more detail.

If your ER details have changed in the last 12 or 36 months then there will be further checking (you get the How long have you lived at this address question).

All good things to overall indicate a dodgy application.

ahhhh, I see. I tell you what, I trust nothing and no one, these days :)
Thanks for the explanation :thumb:

:)

I just wish there was a form supplied when you moved house to fill in for this. When we last moved I think we got local election registration forms pretty much straight away.
That is why this time, I was just going to wait until the form came through my door.
I have never been refused credit in my life and hurt my pride quite a bit before I realised why.

Any form printed, filled in and will be sent off today.

Surely the 'phone firm has a right to making their own stipulations before issuing a phone. It is their affair and doubtless that requirement is for a good enough reason.

Les

Yeah fine Les, I understand that.
What I don't get is why this requirement and the implications of not being on it, isn't advertised more. If I would have known, I would have done it straight away.

Yes I understand and agree with that alright.

Les

my wife has this problem some times as she is not on the Er and never will be as she is not a EU citizen

When I took out my last contract via Phones 4 You, they just took a form of ID and then gave me the phone there and then. Would they have done a credit check after giving me the phone? Surely not.

Next chapter:

Falied a credit check again, even though I am now on theelectoral roll register and have a 'good' credit rating according to both equifax and expedia. :razz:

It was with Phones4U again but for an O2 contract (which I am already 20months into a 24 month contract with). It was late in the evening and was told I would receive a call or email if there were any problems. As I hadn't heard anything nearly 24hrs later, I rang and checked. I failed....again! :razz: All I have is a credit card with a couple of grand on it and a very small loan. I have never missed a payment in my life. The only issues on my file was the electoral roll (now sorted) and the fact that I have had a couple of searches for credit in the last 6 months. That's it! Everything else is either classed as good or excellent.

Problem is, O2, continued to search on my credit two more times with my or Phone4u's consent! So now I have 3 searches from them, 2 on 09/05/11 and then 1 on 10/05/11!

Surely this is illegal. They should have just performed one search and then informed me that I had failed. :wonder:

Phones4u are writing a letter to O2 asking for them to remove the 2 unautherised searches.

I'm just really pissed off as I have always been very good when paying my bills.

heres your problem , run up a string of debt a mile long and your worth something :thumb:

+3

My sister has such a "good" record in that she's never needed a loan/credit card etc., so that when she needed/wanted one, she was flatly refused, as no credit record/rating. :cuckoo:

Me, on the other hand, have had about 4 or 5 loans and various credit cards. But all paid off with no arrears, etc. = excellent credit rating.

Go figure...