According to the Washington State Attorney General's Office, a repossession will stay your credit report for seven years. A repossession, or repo, will make it much harder for you to obtain new lines of credit. It can also end up costing you money by causing your creditors to raise interest rates on your current lines of credit. Though you cannot remove accurate information from your credit report, you can remove inaccurately reported repossessions.
Step 1
Obtain copies of your three credit reports. There are three companies that create consumer credit reports: Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. You can contact each of these companies once a year to receive a free copy of your most recent credit report.
Step 2
Inspect your credit reports carefully. Each credit report can contain different information. Review each of them for any inaccurate or erroneous information and highlight any mistakes you see. Any mistake, even a small one, can be enough to ask a credit bureau to correct or remove the repossession from your credit report.
Step 3
Assemble your evidence. You'll need any documents that show why the repo listing is inaccurate. According to Cameron and Associates, a law firm specializing in consumer credit law, as long as you can provide documentation showing there is an error in the repo listing on the credit report, the credit bureau must remove it.
Step 4
Contact the credit bureau. You must write a letter to each credit bureau on whose report the mistake appears. Inform the bureau about the mistake and refer to the evidence you've assembled showing why it is in error. Be sure to include copies of your evidence with the letter, but do not send originals.
References
Resources
Tips
- Always keep financial records. The only way to change a mistake on your credit report entries is by providing accurate information showing why the data is incorrect. If you don't keep financial records handy it will be much harder to prove your case. Send certified letters. With a certified letter you know exactly when your letter arrives.
Warnings
- Do not try to remove accurate information or hire someone else to try to do it. While you can remove inaccurate data and do not need to hire someone to do it for you, lying to remove accurate information is a crime.
Writer Bio
Roger Thorne is an attorney who began freelance writing in 2003. He has written for publications ranging from "MotorHome" magazine to "Cruising World." Thorne specializes in writing for law firms, Web sites, and professionals. He has a Juris Doctor from the University of Kansas.