Q. I rent a three-bedroom house with my partner and our family. Before we moved in, there used to be several students living there. Recently, I applied for a credit card which was refused. Could this have had anything to do with the previous tenants, one or several of whom could have attracted bad debt at the property address?

A. It makes no difference to your credit rating if the previous occupant of your home or any other family member has a credit problem, so long as you share no financial association with that person. Lenders and credit companies are solely concerned with your ability to repay. I therefore suggest that before you begin to make any more applications for credit, something which could damage your credit rating, you contact the credit card company and ask why they turned you down. They should tell you the reason/s as well as letting you know which one of the major three credit reference agencies they consulted for your application. From there, contact the agency and ask for a copy of your credit file – this should cost just £2. Any erroneous statements on your credit file can be corrected but you have to formally request this. For more information, see my guide to improving your credit rating.

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