Credit reports are used by businesses and individuals for a variety of things. They are used to evaluate a person’s reliability by taking a look at their finances from the past, how timely they made payments on certain accounts, and accounts that they may have defaulted on in the past. Every time someone other than the consumer has requested a consumer’s credit report, it is called an inquiry.

It is possible to delete inquiries on a credit report, especially those determined to be invalid. In order to be evaluated for a credit card, apartment or rental home, mortgage, or even a vehicle loan one must have their credit evaluated, and that requires an inquiry. While a certain number of inquiries are expected and are regarded as normal, too many inquiries can look bad and may lower a consumer’s credit score, oftentimes without the consumer’s knowledge. This gives potential creditors the idea that the individual may be biting off more than they can chew financially, perhaps making attempts to take on more credit than they are realistically going to be able to handle.

It is important to note that a credit grantor only has permission to view a credit report with the consumer’s written authorization. This goes for everyone, from a potential landlord to a potential employer. An inquiry made without the consumer’s consent may be considered invalid and may be removed.

In order to view these inquiries, one must order a copy of their credit report. Every person is entitled to one free report each year, and that can be obtained from www.freeannualcreditreport.com. The inquiries can be found toward the bottom of the report, showing what the inquiry was, what it was for, and by whom it was made.

Those inquiries that must be deleted will require documentation. Preparing a letter to the creditor requesting that the inquiry be deleted with reasons to support why that should be done is the best way to accomplish this. For example, the inquiry was invalid and taken without their knowledge or consent. If it is truly invalid and this can be proven or the creditor simply does not care, the inquiry can be deleted.

If the inquiry is valid, the creditor is required to provide proof that it was taken with the consent of the individual, and this proof must be presented to that person. This may be in the form of an authorization form, signature, or document presented via the internet.

In some cases, a person or institution may make more than one inquiry of a consumer’s credit, negatively affecting that person’s FICO score. It is possible for multiple inquiries to be merged into one upon request, lessening the damage done to the consumer’s credit score.

Valid inquiries must stay on your credit report, but they normally fall off after two years. Without credit, many things are difficult to obtain including transportation, housing, and even gainful employment. People do enough damage to their credit scores with irresponsible ways and financial troubles—inquiries do not have to be an issue.