Do credit applications appear on my credit report?

Each time you make an application for credit, a hard search will be recorded on your credit report. This might be for a credit card, mobile phone contract, re-mortgage; the list goes on. Each time a lender carries out a hard check, you’ll see it in the Searches section of your Checkmyfile report.

The lender details, the date the search was done, and the name and address that were searched will all be provided, so you can make sure no one has been searching your report without your permission.

Hard searches can affect your credit score and they’ll stay on your report for 12 to 24 months, depending on the agency. One search here or there isn’t going to affect your credit health, but too many too quickly can look risky to lenders. They can’t see what you’ve applied for and if you were successful, so they might assume you’re desperate for credit and being frequently declined, or that you’ve been granted a lot of new credit, which could make giving you more unaffordable for you.