While it doesn’t happen to everyone, it’s not entirely uncommon for a consumer to find that they have an error on their credit report. One recent survey suggests that around one in four consumers have an error on their credit report that is serious enough to impact whether they can get credit or not. In some cases, errors on your credit report are easily resolved. In other cases, you may have an uphill battle.

Here are some things to do in order to fix errors on your credit report:

• To start with, you need to prepare for the fact that you might wind up in court. Don’t start with a lawsuit, but be ready to gather information that could impress a judge or jury if it gets that far.
• You should also keep detailed and meticulous records in the process of trying to fix your credit report. Record keeping is your best weapon, especially if your case winds up in court. This means detailing phone calls, letters, etc.
• Professionalism is key, as well. Resist the urge to do anything unseemly when dealing with a credit reporting agency. Be courteous, and keep your emotions in check.
• Remember that a paper trail is easier to prove than a series of phone conversations. Whenever possible, use certified mail to communicate with the credit bureaus and creditors.
• Finally, there are some other things you can try in order to fix the problem. You can hire a credit repair company. You can contact the news media. You can try to contact executives or additional personnel at the credit bureau. If there’s wrongdoing by the credit reporting agency, you can also contact the Federal Trade Commission.

One of the most important factors in determining whether you qualify for a new mortgage is the current strength of your credit. Your credit report, along with your asset statements, proof of income and job history are the primary data that lenders use to decide whether they’ll approve you for a mortgage, how much that mortgage will be, what kind of an interest rate you’ll get, and how much your loan fees are likely to be.  Looking at your credit report before you actually need to apply for a mortgage loan can sometimes give you the time and insight you’ll need to help clear up problems (should they exist), and prepare you for what kinds of challenges that may arise during the loan process.

There are several ways you can get a copy of your credit report. The three major credit monitoring services, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, are required to offer you a copy of your credit report for free once a year. If you have received a copy of your credit report already in the last 12 months, you can get another copy at a cost.

One simple way to get your credit report is to visit the site AnnualCreditReport.com. This is the authorized site that allows consumers to get their credit report from all three services for free. This site will require you to verify your identity, and then provide you with access to your credit report.

Alternatively, you can call the Annual Credit Report phone line at 877-322-8228 and receive a copy of your credit reports via mail.

A key item not included with your free annual credit report is a credit score, which is a must for mortgage underwriting.  You can get a credit score, as well as other services related to your credit report directly from the major bureaus, or from a third party site that provides paid access to these services.  However, scoring algorithms between lender requested mortgage reports and consumer requested reports have seemed to differ in the past.  Meaning, the scores you pay to get may actually differ from the scores a lender gets when requesting a 3 bureau credit report for a mortgage loan.

During the mortgage pre-approval process for clients contemplating a new home purchase or refinance, I often obtian a 3 bureau credit report, review it with my clients, and provide them with their credit scores free of charge.