How to Find Out All My Debts? Credit Search Guide

Are you trying to find all your debts but don’t know where to start? You’re in the right place. This guide is here to help you uncover all your debts using a simple credit search. This is important because it can help you avoid problems in the future, like not remembering to pay a debt.

We understand that trying to find all your debts can be a bit scary. Maybe you’re worried about what could happen if you don’t find all your debts and forget to pay one.

You’re not alone. Over 170,000 people visit our website every month to get help with debt problems.

In this guide, we’ll help you:

•  Understand how to check your credit file
•  Learn how to look for debt information in your emails, documents, and letters
•  Know how to talk to people you owe money to, called creditors
•  Find out about CCJs and other important debts
•  See if you can write off some of your debts

Remember, lots of people have been where you are now. We have too. So we understand how you feel, and we’re here to help.

Finding Debt Information

If you’ve recently changed your contact details or moved to a different location, there might be a chance that your creditors are having trouble contacting you. 

In such cases, it’s important to be aware of the debts you have. This is why you should take action in order to find out about the debts you may have forgotten about or may not know about. 

Having complete information regarding your debts is important for a number of reasons. 

Firstly, it’s important to be in constant communication with your creditors. If you don’t keep in touch with your creditors, they will seek legal action against you, which would have much more dire consequences.

Of course, you can’t keep in touch with your creditors if you’re not aware of your debt to them in the first place. 

Secondly, having a complete picture of your financial affairs is important because it will help you make an informed decision about how to tackle your debt. 

The very first thing you should do when researching information about your debts is to go through your credit record. 

Checking your Credit File 

Your credit file (also known as your credit report) is a record of your financial dealings over the last six years. It’s used to calculate your credit rating.

Any debts or payments you may have made over the last six years will be logged in your credit file. It also has details about your bank accounts, loans, credit cards and any other forms of credit that you may have opted for.

Your credit file also contains information regarding your bills, such as utilities, insurance, etc. 

Your credit file is compiled and provided to you by credit reference agencies. There are currently three credit reference agencies operating in the UK, namely: 

• Experian
• Equifax
• TransUnion (formerly Callcredit)

In order to get a hold of your credit file, you can contact any of these agencies. 

You can instantly get a soft copy of your credit file for free by going to the websites of any of these three agencies. 

You can also request a paper copy of your credit file, but of course, that will take longer, and it costs £2. 

Checking Emails, Documents and Letters 

If you’ve gone through your credit report but still feel that you don’t have complete information about all of your debts, the next thing you should look at is your correspondence with your creditors. 

This could be in the form of emails or letters.

Going through these old letters and emails can help you get an idea of what debts you have and can also remind you about any debts which you may have forgotten about. 

If you’ve recently moved and have stopped receiving updates from your creditors, you can try to find out whether they’ve been sending letters to your previous address. You can do this by contacting the new occupants or the landlord. 

If you do indeed find letters from your creditors at your old address, you should leave a forwarding address for future letters and also inform your creditors as soon as possible. 

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Fill out the short debt form

Contacting Creditors 

If you remember who you owe money to but just don’t remember the details of the debt, it’s definitely worth a shot to contact the creditor directly. 

Please note that if you explain to your creditors that you’re actively seeking advice to take care of your debt, they will give you breathing space to get your financial affairs in order. Most of the time, they’ll give you up to 30 days. 

Sometimes, your debts are passed onto debt collection agencies. These agencies buy the debt from the original creditor and take ownership of it.

If this has happened, you can still contact the original creditor in order to get information about who the debt now belongs to and what the amount owed is. 

Checking Bank Account Statements 

Since most debt repayments are made through your bank account via Direct Debit or by using your debit card, checking your bank statements is definitely a step worth taking to find out more about your debts. 

If you use online banking, you should be able to find a record of these. You can also ask your bank for help.

Although, depending on the bank, they might charge you for copies of older bank account statements. 

Thousands have already tackled their debt

Every day our partners, The Debt Advice Service, help people find out whether they can lower their repayments and finally tackle or write off some of their debt.

Natasha

I’d recommend this firm to anyone struggling with debt – my mind has been put to rest, all is getting sorted.

Get started

Reviews shown are for The Debt Advice Service.

Finding CCJs 

If you’ve had a County Court Judgment (CCJ) in the past, this will most likely appear in your credit file. 

If you’ve had a County Court Judgment, but it hasn’t appeared in your records, you could try checking out the public register that is maintained by the Registry Trust at Trust Online.

You will be charged a £6 fee for checking it. 

Finding Other Priority Debts 

You may not be able to find information about other types of debts which you may owe to government agencies or departments. 

In order to gather information about these dates, you may have to contact these departments one by one directly. 

Examples of such debts include debts owed to HMRC, council tax debt, child maintenance fees, tax benefit overpayments and debts owed to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). 

Remember, if you need any advice or help to clear your debts, feel free to contact a reputable debt charity like StepChange or MoneyHelper for assistance.