Seven ways to improve your credit in seven days

If a lender has mistakenly searched your report more than once in response to a single credit application, then contact the lender, explain what has gone wrong and ask for the extra footprints to be removed.

4. Update your relationships

You'll find a section listing your financial associates in your credit report. These are people with whom you have a financial relationship, such as a mortgage or joint credit card account.

Lenders may check the credit reports of your financial associates when you apply for credit, as their situation could affect your ability to repay what you borrow, so it's important to ensure that the list is up to date - or you could be penalised for someone else's financial problems.

Tell your partner to check their own credit report before you apply for credit, so that they can ensure it is up-to-date as well. If you've split from a partner or got divorced, you should close down joint accounts and re-open new ones in your name only.

Tell the credit reference agencies, so they can update their records too.

5. Talk to your lenders

If you've been rejected for credit, ask the lender to tell you why. It could be as simple as not matching the customer profile for that product, or that you already have multiple credit accounts - even if you are making all your repayments on time.

6. Simplify your borrowing

Do you really need all those credit cards? Would it be less expensive to roll up several debts into a single loan? Be careful if you take this route - make sure you're not paying more over time. Your credit rating could benefit if you can streamline your borrowing – and you'll find your finances easier to manage, too.

7. Explain yourself

If there's a good reason for a blip on your credit report, you may be able to add a Notice explaining what happened - perhaps you were made redundant or were ill but things are okay now. Lenders may take your circumstances into account. Contact a credit reference agency and ask for advice.

If you manage to sort out even one problem, you should improve your credit rating - but you might want to keep checking your credit report to be sure that once the relevant changes have been made, no new problems crop up.

To view your personal credit information that lenders are currently basing their credit decisions on, apply now for a free online credit report. Click here for a free 30-day trial and a free copy of your Experian credit report