What are enquiries
An enquiry shows up on your credit report when a lender or entity checks your credit report file. Companies do this before making a decision about you or an application you made.
There are 2 ways entities can view your credit report information: enquiries and accesses.
Access
Accesses won't affect your credit score. These are only visible to you on your credit reports. This takes place when companies want to get a general idea of your financial status. Sometimes for a quote or before requesting to see your full credit file.
When you sign up for ClearScore, you'll see accesses added to your credit report. These access show you the date we had access to generate your credit report.
You'll be able to see these on your credit report until they're archived after 5 years.
Enquiry
Enquiries are when you’ve made an application and a company has accessed your full credit file. This could be when you applied for loans, credit cards or mortgages. An enquiry will have an impact on your score. Enquiries stay on your report for 5 years.
If a company carries out an enquiry in error or without your permission, don't worry. You can ask them to remove it from your report.