If you have a bad credit rating, then you might find that your ability to get financing, loans, and even some jobs is greatly diminished. Once you have a bad credit rating, it might seem like there's nothing that you can do about it… but you don't have to believe that. It's not as difficult as you might think to get by with a bad credit rating; with a little work and time you can even repair it! Of course, before you do that it's important to realize exactly what a credit rating is. Get organized! Make a folder for all your correspondence offline and online. You will have to do some snail mailing but in most cases you can work your repair online. In the U.S. a 630 rating will qualify you for a mortgage. You can still get credit with a lower score but not at a premium interest rate.

To begin correcting your credit, the important thing to do is obtain your credit report and study it. Mark all the negative items. Most unsecured credit, mostly credit cards, can stay on your report for 7 years. If you find any over that, write to the credit bureau and ask them to remove it. They are required by law to research and report back within 30 days. Find any other negative items and determine if they are correct. If not, write the bureau and tell them its not your debt. Many times, they will not be able to verify the debt because the credit card company, auto loan company or other creditor won't get back them within 30 days.