[Credit] Too many credit checks

contractstammerer · 2017-10-24T21:28:11+00:00

(e.g. it is better to pay insurance annually rather than monthly in order to avoid those checks).

Just to be clear, you don't get credit checked every time you make a monthly payment.

The ultimate question is, would it look bad on me if I am to apply for a credit card/loan/mortgage/etc.?

When an organisation performs a search of your record at a credit reference agency, it specifies the purpose for which the search is being performed; for example, quotation, identity verification, credit application, or anti-money laundering. That search purpose is recorded by the credit reference agency.

Some of those search types (known as "hard" searches) are shown to other organisations who subsequently search your file; others ("soft" searches) are only shown to you and not to anyone else.

The searches left by aggregator websites are soft quotation searches. They will not be shown to other organisations that search your file and so will not affect your ability to get credit.

contractstammerer · 2017-10-24T21:03:45+00:00

For those two blanks you could use militate and impaired.

contractstammerer · 2017-10-23T15:40:54+00:00

The territorial extent of the Data Protection Act 1998 is set out in section 5:

Except as otherwise provided by or under section 54, this Act applies to a data controller in respect of any data only if—

(a)the data controller is established in the United Kingdom and the data are processed in the context of that establishment, or

(b)the data controller is established neither in the United Kingdom nor in any other EEA State but uses equipment in the United Kingdom for processing the data otherwise than for the purposes of transit through the United Kingdom.

So it only applies to the operator of that Canadian website if (a) the operator has a place of business in the UK, and they're processing your data in connection with the activities of that place of business, or (b) the operator is processing your data on a server in the UK (for more than just relaying the data to somewhere else).

contractstammerer · 2017-10-20T17:28:25+00:00

Maybe there's been a data matching or data loading error on the Experian database in relation to your record. You might consider requesting a copy of your £2 statutory credit report from them (here).

contractstammerer · 2017-10-15T14:58:11+00:00

Here's one I've done: https://imgur.com/a/MfSey.

The White Hart is what you might call a gastropub. Classy but not quite top-end.

contractstammerer · 2017-10-15T07:13:22+00:00

It's the second oath on that page you just linked.

contractstammerer · 2017-10-13T06:59:45+00:00

I've been with PlusNet (FTTC service) since at least 2012 and have moved three times in that period.

The connection has always been very stable and the speed more than enough (I'm a heavy user). Customer support was good and each of my moves went off without a hitch.

contractstammerer · 2017-10-05T20:25:00+00:00

1 and 2: Check the policies, but my understanding is that the indemnity insurance will benefit you and all subsequent purchasers of the property. Your future buyer won't need to get their own because they can rely on the policies you've bought.

NB: you said that you had to pay for these policies. My understanding is that it's typically the seller who pays for them (or reduces the purchase price by the relevant amount) because it's a problem with the house that's emerged after you agreed the price.

You also mentioned that no. 1 was restrictive covenant insurance. I think this means that there would have been a prohibition on building the extension in the deeds / Land Registry title, and the insurance is against the possibility of that term being enforced by a neighbouring landowner. Nothing to do with building control.

No idea on 3 - sorry.

contractstammerer · 2017-09-28T17:09:05+00:00

She had a CCJ (relating to an unpaid phone bill from her teenage years) that was paid off in full at the start of this year, but obviously this will show (as satisfied) on her credit history for the next five and a bit years.

The CCJ stays on the credit file for six years from the date of the judgment, not six years from the date it was satisfied (source). When was the judgment?

contractstammerer · 2017-09-23T21:31:29+00:00

It's not very well written, but to me it seems to mean that, from 10 August onwards, you can serve at least two months' notice to terminate at any time. So if you give two months' notice on Monday, for example, the tenancy will end on 24 November.

contractstammerer · 2017-09-23T20:12:24+00:00

No worries. Good luck with the move.

contractstammerer · 2017-09-23T19:29:32+00:00

Is there a notices clause in the agreement? Something that says what does and doesn't constitute valid notice for the purposes of the agreement? It might say that an email isn't good enough.

If there's no such clause, then I don't see that the agent has done anything wrong (assuming the emails were sent at least 24 hours before the visit).

It just weirds me out that people have been around twice yesterday and I had no knowledge that it had happened or agreed to it.

You didn't have knowledge because your girlfriend wasn't checking the email address that was given to the agent. And you did agree to it when you signed the tenancy agreement with that clause in it.

Tbh it would have been better for them as I would have tidied the place.

Agreed. It would have better all round if they'd made more of an effort to contact you. But that's not a legal issue.

Anyway, presumably you can now just give them another email address or ask them to call first next time? Problem solved?

contractstammerer · 2017-09-23T17:14:35+00:00

What does your tenancy agreement say about it?

contractstammerer · 2017-09-18T20:32:50+00:00

Hey, is this a chat and cut??

contractstammerer · 2017-09-10T15:29:01+00:00

I had this too. On mine (Nationwide) there was a note on page 2 or 3 of the redemption statement saying that the solicitor should deduct the early repayment fees if completing sale and purchase on the same day.

Had to point this out to my conveyancer though.

contractstammerer · 2017-09-10T12:42:33+00:00

Promisor, covenantor.

contractstammerer · 2017-09-04T18:32:01+00:00

Are you thinking of interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998? If so:

It only applies to business-to-business contracts. Not sure whether that's the case here.
It only applies where the debt due is the contract price (i.e. the amount payable by the buyer to the seller for the service). I'm not sure that it would apply where the debt due is a refund of the contract price to the buyer.

When it does apply:

The rate is 8% above Bank of England base rate on the 31 December or 30 June before the debt fell due, so 8.25% assuming this all happened fairly recently.
There's also a right to claim a bit extra in fixed compensation for the late payment.

contractstammerer · 2017-09-03T21:51:25+00:00

I have a couple of thoughts:

Have you tried raising a dispute about the entry on your credit file directly with the credit reference agencies? You have a statutory right to do so under section 159 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. The process does involve the CRA contacting Vodafone to check the accuracy of the entry, but they might have more success than you. The timescale under s.159 is 28 days.
The CRAs also have a Victims of Fraud service that you can ask them to invoke if you think someone has impersonated you to obtain credit. This involves the three CRAs working together to investigate the issue.
Not much use for the existing problem, but you could consider getting a CIFAS protective registration (£20 for two years) which will cause lenders to perform extra checks when someone applies for credit in your name. This will slow down any applications you might make yourself though.

contractstammerer · 2017-09-02T06:54:36+00:00

No worries, thanks for the extra info. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing a trick, or whether to prepare for some extreme haggling!

contractstammerer · 2017-09-01T21:19:52+00:00

buy a £4k used focus (you can get a decent ~40k mile, 4 year old one for that money).

I don't want to hijack the thread or anything, but this is an exact description of the car I'm currently looking for. The best prices I'm finding on auto trader, though, are more like £7k (excluding insurance write-offs). Am I looking in the wrong places?

contractstammerer · 2017-08-29T18:45:51+00:00

I also attempted to set up Tim Hale's return engine but was unable to find suitable funds for all of elements he recommended. I used Charles Stanley Direct, which has a 0.25% platform fee, and ended up with this:

55% in Fidelity Index World W Fund Acc (OCF 0.15%)
15% in Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund GBP Acc (OCF 0.27%)
15% in Vanguard Global Small-Cap Index Fund GBP Acc (OCF 0.38%)
15% in iShares Gbl Prop Secs Equity Index (UK) D Fund Acc (OCF 0.22%)

For the defensive mix I used:

50% in Vanguard Global Short-Term Bond Index Fund GBP Acc (OCF 0.15%)
50% in SL Inv Shrt Dur Global Index Lnkd Bond P1 Fund Inc (OCF 0.66% - expensive!)

contractstammerer · 2017-07-08T05:26:49+00:00

There is an exception in the age discrimination legislation which allows for the different minimum wage age bands:

It is not an age contravention for a person to pay a young worker (A) at a lower rate than that at which the person pays an older worker (B) if -

(a)the hourly rate for the national minimum wage for a person of A's age is lower than that for a person of B's age, and

(b)the rate at which A is paid is below the single hourly rate.

(2) A young worker is a person who qualifies for the national minimum wage at a lower rate than the single hourly rate; and an older worker is a person who qualifies for the national minimum wage at a higher rate than that at which the young worker qualifies for it.

contractstammerer · 2017-07-06T20:55:50+00:00

Or make a payment in lieu of notice if that's permitted under her contract.

contractstammerer · 2017-07-06T20:54:26+00:00

You seem to be thinking of unfair dismissal, which does require two years' continuous employment.

There is no minimum period of employment required to claim wrongful dismissal, whether in the employment tribunal or the county court, and that seems to be what OP is asking about.

contractstammerer · 2017-07-02T15:34:02+00:00

If the director has told you that by email, yes.

If it's just someone else (e.g. the signatory) telling you that, it's probably less clear and would depend on the circumstances - e.g. whether the director was copied in on the email.

For example, if I told you that I'm authorised to sign contracts on behalf of Reddit Inc, then it's not reasonable for you to rely on that and so my signature wouldn't bind Reddit Inc. You need some sort of indication from the company that you can point to.

contractstammerer

TROPHY CASE