How to Change a Personal Address With Credit Reporting Agencies

Credit reports summarize consumers' credit account and debt repayment history. Each credit report also contains your personal data, including addresses where you've lived in past years and your current residence. Sometimes the information in a credit report is inaccurate.The three national reporting agencies -- Experian, Trans Union and Equifax -- each have procedures for disputing information on a consumer's credit report. The dispute process takes up to 45 days from the dispute filing date until a decision is returned to the consumer.

Instructions

1

Request a copy of your credit report from the three national credit reporting agencies and determine which agencies are incorrectly reporting personal addresses. You have the right to one free credit report every 12 months. Check the Federal Trade Commission for information on requesting a copy of a free credit report.

2

Gather proof of the correct personal addresses. Find utility bills, rental contracts, mortgages or other documentation that prove the correct personal addresses for the time period in question.

3

Dispute any inaccurate addresses by explaining the error and providing proof of the correct address. Trans Union, Experian and Equifax permit online disputes, but it's possible to open a dispute by mail or telephone. Check your credit report for the dispute telephone numbers or addresses; use the credit report number when opening the dispute.

4

Confirm any changes with each credit reporting agency. After receiving a response about your dispute, verify that the changes appear in the credit report's section for personal information. The credit reporting agency must provide the credit report free of charge upon request because you have disputed information.