This is a guest post by Sara Williams, who writes about Debt and Credit ratings on her websiteDebt Camel.

Access to your credit score

A whole industry has grown up around credit ratings in the last few years. Free ways to check your credit scores are being used to suggest loans you should take. Firms are selling products offering to improve your credit rating for a monthly payment. Guarantor loans are promoting their expensive and dangerous type of credit as a good way to improve your credit record. Endless newspaper articles describe how getting on the electoral roll and disassociating yourself from an ex partner can help your credit score.

It’s even become confusing just to check your credit records. A few months ago I counted, and there wereeleven different ways to access your credit scoresand more detailed information, all giving slightly different things with a confusing variety of prices.

People are more worried about credit scores

So it’s not surprising debt advisers are seeing more and more people who are worried about their credit ratings. That’s not a problem in itself, they are important. But sometimes people don’t seem very interested in their debts and how to tackle those sensibly – they only want to know what the damage to their credit score will be or how to get that reduced.

To a debt adviser that is putting the cart before the horse. If problems such as redundancy, ill-health or a very variable income have meant you can’t afford the normal monthly payments to your debts, then at some point this is going to show up in problems on your credit record.

Warning signs that debt is becoming a problem

If you find you are using your credit card for everyday essentials such as groceries and paying the electricity bill, and if your balance is going up every month, it’s a good idea to talk to a debt adviser sooner rather than later. Yes, the way to get you back to a stable position may hurt your credit record, but you can’t carry on borrowing.

Borrowing more so you can carry on for longer just makes your debt problem larger the next month. When your credit card is maxed out, the next available credit is likely to be even more expensive. This is not the time to worry about your credit record!

Debt advisers can also help with general Money Advice, finding ways to reduce your expenses – perhaps you could switch your utilities - or increase your income by applying for extra benefits.

When your debt problems are in the past

Credit records matter more when things are going well. You know you can afford that car finance or even a mortgage, so to be turned down because of old debt issues you have sorted can be frustrating. If you had problems a few years ago, you will be really looking forward to the day they all disappear from your credit history!

Once a debt has been paid off, any problems with it start getting older and mattering less to your credit score. There isn’t much you can do that will speed this up. Having some credit and managing it well helps – having one credit card you repay in full each month is ideal for this. Borrowing too much and making too many credit applications can start harming your score again, so going slowly and keeping things well under control is a better approach.

Money Advice Hub Tip

You still have the right to run a basic bank account even with poor credit, read ourBasic Bank Accounts Sectionfor further information.