Credit Scores & Credit Monitoring What To Do About Bad Credit Building Credit 10 Signs You Need to Repair Your Credit How to Tell If You Should Repair Your Credit By LaToya Irby LaToya Irby LaToya Irby is a credit expert who has been covering credit and debt management for The Balance for more than a dozen years. She's been quoted in USA Today, The Chicago Tribune, and the Associated Press, and her work has been cited in several books. learn about our editorial policies Updated on April 13, 2022 Reviewed by Ebony J. Howard Reviewed by Ebony J. Howard Ebony Howard is a certified public accountant and a QuickBooks ProAdvisor tax expert. She has been in the accounting, audit, and tax profession for more than 13 years, working with individuals and a variety of companies in the health care, banking, and accounting industries. learn about our financial review board Fact checked by Emily Ernsberger Have you been living with bad credit? Are you unsure of your credit standing but have a sneaking suspicion it's not the best? Here are ten signs you need credit repair. 01 of 10 You've Been Denied for a Credit Card Adam Gault / Getty Images If you've had a credit card application denied, it could be a sign that you need credit repair. Credit card companies are required to send you an adverse action notice letting you know the specific reasons that your credit card application was denied. If you were denied because of information in your credit report, you're entitled to a free copy of the report. 02 of 10 Your Electricity Is in Someone Else's Name Utility services are among the many businesses that use a credit check to decide whether to extend services to you. If you can't establish electricity or any other service in your name, it's time to repair your bad credit. Check your credit report to learn what negative items are affecting your credit score. 03 of 10 Debt Collectors Are Calling You When debt collectors start calling you it means your creditors have given up trying to get you to pay your bills. These collection accounts most likely appear on your credit report and affect your ability to get approved for credit cards and loans. Credit repair involves paying off these collection accounts or disputing them from your credit report if they don't belong to you. 04 of 10 You Can't Find Anyone to Co-Sign Your Loans When you need credit repair, you probably won't get approved for any loans on your own. If you can't get any of your family and friends to co-sign for you, then you desperately need credit repair. Once you improve your credit, you'll be able to get loans without having someone sign for you. 05 of 10 Your Credit Report Is Keeping You From Getting a Job Many employers use your credit report to make hiring and promotion decisions. This is especially true for financial and top executive positions. Putting off credit repair can keep you from getting the jobs you apply for. Not all employers check credit as part of the hiring process. While you work on improving your credit score, consider taking a job that doesn't do credit checks. 06 of 10 Landlords Won't Rent to You Landlords check credit too. Bad credit can keep you from getting into a rental property, especially a larger apartment complex. Some landlords may be lenient on one or two late payments, but serious delinquencies will get your application turned down. To save yourself the embarrassment of being denied for an apartment, improve your credit history before you start looking for a new rental. 07 of 10 You're Afraid to Check Your Own Credit Report "I don't have time." "I don't know how." Bad credit can lead you to make excuses about checking your credit report when the real reason you don't check your report is that you're afraid to see what's on it. The sooner you check your credit, the sooner you can work toward creating a credit report you're proud of. 08 of 10 Your Credit Score Is Low These days a credit score below 740 is considered sub-prime. If your credit score is below 650, you definitely need credit repair. If you don't know your credit score, now's a great time to check to see where you stand. 09 of 10 Your Interest Rates Keep Going Up Credit card issuers often raise interest rates as a result of information on your credit report. When you're late on payments to other creditors or a new collection account appears on your credit report, you might get an interest rate increase letter. Repairing your credit can help ensure you get the best interest rates on your credit cards and loans. 10 of 10 Card Issuers Are Closing Your Credit Cards Having just one credit card closed by your card issuer might not be a big deal. When several of your credit cards get closed, it's a sign there's something wrong with your credit. Calling your credit card company may shed some light on what's wrong. Chances are you to repair your credit to improve your credit standing. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit