
If you have bad credit, it’s easy to feel discouraged. You may be thinking that there’s no way to get your credit back on track and you’ll just have to deal with the consequences of a bad credit score forever. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take right now to fix your bad credit. This article covers seven simple steps that anyone can take to fix their credit standing and start repairing their credit score today!
1. Figure Out What Caused The Bad Credit
2. Understand Why It Affects Your Life
3. Figure Out If It’s Fixable Or Not
4. Make A Plan On What To Do Next
5. Don’t Give Up, Keep Trying Until It Works
1. Start by gathering all of the information about your past due accounts and find out what the balance is. This will help determine what you are dealing with and also give insight into how much work is ahead of you.
2. Figure out what the minimum monthly payments are for each account and start making those payments as soon as possible. You’ll want to do this for at least six months before moving on to step
3. Take a close look at any late fees, penalties, or interest that may have accumulated during the time in which you weren’t paying attention or making payments; these need to be paid off as well before moving on to step
4. Once you’ve done this, it’s time to focus on rebuilding your score. The best way to do so is to make sure you’re always keeping up with your bills every month and don’t miss any more payments than necessary. You should also contact the major credit bureaus and ask them to remove any negative items that they might have recorded against you. Be sure not to make any new mistakes while doing so!
6. Move Forward With A New Lease On Life
You deserve it. You’ve been through so much and come out on top. You’re going to need a new place that will give you stability and peace of mind, but the only problem is that you have a history of not paying your bills on time. Don’t worry, we’ve got some tips for how you can qualify for a lease with less of a chance of being denied because of your past! Here are five ways you can help yourself:
- Know what landlords are looking for: Your landlord needs to know you'll be able to pay rent on time and follow the guidelines in your contract.
- Get proof of income: To show them how reliable you are, provide evidence that you have an income from employment or self-employment sources.
- Add a co-signer: It's often easier than you think to find someone who will agree as long as they believe in your character and ability to keep up with the terms.
- File your taxes every year: They want to see where your money comes from, so filing taxes every year is essential. If you don't file and there's no documentation of income coming into the household, this might raise red flags when filling out applications for renting.
- Keep good credit lines open: If any old cards are sitting around collecting dust but still have a positive balance on them, do what you can to use those cards as little as possible until they expire.