Electoral Roll

Jim

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electoral roll and your credit and score in the UK

What is the Electoral Roll in the UK?

Public register to enable you to vote in elections or referendums. It is a comprehensive list of names and addresses of all individuals registered to vote in the UK. It holds your name and address information.

The electoral roll is used to list eligible voters for elections and referendums. When you go to your nearest voting station for example they will ask for your name and address and check this against the electoral roll information.

It is also used to detect crime including fraud, jury duty selection, credit application checks by financial lenders and other public services for example getting a passport.

Who can register on the electoral roll?

You must be a British or Irish citizen aged 16 or over in England / Northern Ireland and aged 14 or over in Scotland and Wales (aged 14 or over).

How to get on the Electoral Register?

You can register on the government website here https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote with your national insurance number. This is also where you go to make any changes for example if you move address. There is an option to register to vote via a paper form here https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/register-to-vote-paper-forms.

Electoral Roll effect on your Credit Score?

Being on the electoral roll can add between 50-100 points to your credit scores from Experian, TransUnion and Equifax but this is a rough guide and depends on your overall score and other factors impacting your credit score. Credit Score Ace has put together a guide to improve your credit score.

Not being on the electoral roll will reduce your credit score as it means it is harder to quickly identify you when the lender does an initial check on your credit application details (name & address) versus that held on the electoral roll. If you have moved multiple times this can also reduce your score as it looks like you are less stable to lenders.

However, it is a quick fix as you can register on the electoral roll within 30 days.

Electoral Roll and your Credit Report

The credit reference agencies (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) access the electoral roll to include this information in your credit report.

Check each of your credit reports from Experian, Equifax and TransUnion to ensure this includes your electoral roll details because lenders use this information to help confirm your name, address and residential history.

If you’re not registered, it could cause a delay when you apply for credit, while the lenders confirm your details some other way. With some lenders it can even hurt your credit score, and some applications may even be refused.

How long does it take to get on the electoral roll?

Once you’ve registered, it may take a little while for this information to appear on your credit report (normally within 30 days), as councils usually process updates to the electoral roll once a month and send the information to the credit reference agencies like Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. 

These updates can also be suspended for a few months if a council does an ‘annual canvass’, where they carry out an audit of all households.

If you have waited over 30 days and you are still not seeing your electoral roll details on your credit report, chase up your local authority.

How and why do lenders check if you are on the electoral roll?

Banks and building societies usually need to know that the information about you is up to date before they are willing to offer a mortgage, a loan or any other form of financial account. Maintaining your presence on the electoral roll is therefore particularly important so they can quickly identify you in your credit application. Lenders can access this information from data they access from the credit reference agencies (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion).

What happens when you move address?

You will need https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote to make changes to your registration details. To avoid missing any final bills which if not paid will reduce your credit score set-up a postal redirect (from the Royal Mail) for 3-6 months after moving.

Moving house is when people are at a higher risk of fraud. Redirecting your post also reduces your risk of identity theft whereby fraudsters use your name and address to apply for credit without your permission.

What to do if you are living at a temporary address?

If you are living at a temporary address, it’s often better – if possible – to use your parents’ address for things like the electoral roll and as a base for your credit agreements.

This might even be safer, in terms of the risk of identity fraud, especially if your temporary address has shared access. You can register to vote in more than one place if you only vote once in each election – just ensure that whenever you apply for credit, you give the lender all the information they need to locate and examine your full credit history, including your electoral roll details.

What are the two different type of electoral roll registers?

There are two types of register:

  1. The Full Electoral Register which is the complete list of registered voters and is used for electoral purposes and by law enforcement to check your identity.
  2. The Open Register (Edited Electoral Roll / Register) which is a variant of above but excludes any individuals who have opted out. This version is used for marketing and directory services by organisation who buy the list.

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