How to look good to lenders

Credit providers are looking for the following key indicators on your credit report to show that you are a good prospective customer:

Stability – for example, credit providers want to make sure that you haven’t moved house too many times over a short period
Not too much credit – this includes credit that you’ve actually taken out, but also credit that you’ve simply applied for
Good payment history – credit providers want to see that you’re made your payments on time. Don’t worry if you’ve missed the occasional payment by a few days. One of the good things about the credit reporting system is that each payment you do make on time, will make you look better to credit providers. If you think you’ve missed (or will miss!) more than an occasional payment, you should read this
No nasty stuff – this includes defaults, bankruptcy information and court judgments. These types of things will make it harder for you to get credit (at least until they fall off your credit report in 5 – 7 years).