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Credit repair can take several months. It took time for your credit report to get damaged and it will take a while before it gets back on track. However, you want to initiate the right steps now, in order to improve your credit. Here are some of the important steps to repair credit.

Request a credit report.
With a recent law, a free credit report is available to consumers, once a year. Take advantage of this free credit report availability. Call one of the three major credit bureaus and request a credit report. A credit report will not display your credit score. To view your credit score, you will need to pay a small fee. Also be advised that your credit score may be different at all the three credit bureaus.

Review mistakes in credit report.
Any negative information remains on your credit report for at least 7 years. If you find any collection accounts over 7 years being reported in your credit file, request the item to be removed immediately. If you find any other inaccuracies in your report, for example a credit line showing as $4000 instead of $6000, or a credit card account not being reported, bring it to the notice of the credit bureau.

Contact the Credit Reporting Agency (CRA)
When you contact the credit reporting agency, maintain communication in writing and via certified mails only. List all items that are inaccurate or incomplete and a detailed description on those items. If you have any documents that support your argument, make sure to stick in a copy. The credit reporting agency has 30 days to review and correct items in your credit file.

Contact the Furnisher
A furnisher reports information about you to the CRA. Again, send a communication in writing and certified mail to the furnisher informing them about the items being inaccurate or inconsistent. Include evidence to support your argument. Have the furnisher report the item as disputed until they have verified and corrected it.

What if I do not have a long credit history?
If you do not have a long credit history, request the CRA to report all your credit accounts (store cards, gas cards etc) in order to beef up your credit score. However, this involves paying additional fees to the CRA but the more accounts you show in good standing, the better your credit score will be.

Tips on maintaining good credit
Once you have eliminated negative items in your credit report, work on maintaining a positive credit report. For good credit, here are some tips to consider:

• Make every effort to pay all your bills on time
• Never carry high levels of debt on credit cards.
• Keep a few accounts active and close the rest. While closing accounts, close the ones that were recently opened. Older accounts help establish good credit history.

Tips when communicating with the credit reporting agencies

• Keep records and paper trail of all your correspondences.
• If you don't succeed, try again. It may take time to wrestle the CRA to and to have them make the necessary changes to your accounts.
• If you need to work with a credit repair company, do adequate research.
• Several do it yourself credit repair kits are available on the internet that contain sample letters that can help you get started.
• If you need legal help in resolving your credit repair problems, get a good lawyer who specializes in credit repair cases.

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