I get a lot of calls from people whose credit is bad, or who have CCJs (County Court Judgements) against their name. What can you do if this is the case?

Well, you can try to erase or ameliorate these black marks. First you check what a provider might find out about you, when they do a credit check. Go to Experian and Equifax.Order your credit report from BOTH sites, as there may be different entries in each. Make sure you give the same name and address as you normally have on your bills. If you moved recently (in the past two years), give your old address as well. You're dealing with a bureaucracy, and big computerised databases. They can only find what you tell them; if you give incorrect information, you may not get the full picture.

You can also apply to the County Court to satisfy outstanding judgements against you, and have this entered in their records; it'll still count as a mark against you, but it will be more of a dark grey instead.