Maintaining a good or exceptional credit score can be difficult, and the most common problem is credit errors/negative information. When you find such inaccuracies, the best possible thing you can do is file a 609 dispute letter to the related bureaus and get your inaccuracies removed from your reports. 

What is a Credit Dispute Letter?

A credit dispute letter is a document that you can send to the credit bureaus to point and remove negative information or inaccuracies from your credit report. The negative information in this context is defined as incorrect entries on your credit reports which you have not performed. 

In the credit dispute letter, you can specify why you find the information negative and the possible causes. You can add supporting documents, if any, and make your dispute much stronger. 

If you are dispute is found to be correct, the negative information will be removed from your credit report, and the credit score shall boost. The claiming company has to remove the error that added mistakenly to your credit report. 

What can you dispute in the letter?

You can dispute several entries that are inappropriate and present on your list. A few of them are, 

  • Collections
  • Bankruptcy after seven years
  • Foreclosures after seven years 
  • Later Payments / Missed payments

What to write in a Credit Dispute Letter? 

A credit dispute letter should be written in a very formal and addressable way. Your point should be clear and attached with enough supporting evidence. You can use Dispute Bee to get an automated dispute letter for all your disputes based on your personal information or get it written by a professional such as a credit attorney.

 But you can write it on your own too, and it is not as difficult as climbing Everest. Here is what you should include in your credit dispute letters – 

  1. Current date
  2. Personal information (Name, Contact, Date of birth, and account number)
  3. Credit bureau’s address/contact information
  4. Short description of the error (No need for long, complicated stories, it won’t help and make it unprofessional)
  5. Supporting documents such as payment receipts and court orders
  6. Instructions of what the credit bureaus should do (remove or investigate the error)
  7. Copy of scanned credit report with errors highlighted
  8. Scanned government ID attached (Single) for address verification. 

Please do not make it a long letter with unnecessary information thinking it would make it look to begin and have quick action. Keep it precise and make sure to fill in the correct information.

Credit bureaus don’t ask for the perfect dispute letters, but it is recommended to ease the process. Moreover, when you keep the disputes and information up to a point, it helps them understanding much quicker than going through paragraphs and trying to understand the issues. 

Addresses of the Credit Bureaus – 

Now that our dispute letter is ready, we want to post it to the credit bureaus. There are three credit bureaus, and all three function independently. So, make sure you mail the dispute letter to the right credit bureau, or your problem will never be attained.

Equifax

PO Box 740256

Atlanta, GA 30374-0256


Experian

PO Box 9701

Allen, TX 75013


TransUnion

PO Box 2000

Chester, PA 19016

Sample 609 Dispute Letter –

credit repair sample letter

Source – Credit Karma 

How long does it take for Credit Bureaus to address your issue?

It takes up to 30 days for the credit bureaus to address your issues, and it is a common period, but they have 90 days at the maximum to perform their duties. 

In some cases, credit bureaus may ask you for additional information so keep an eye on your mailbox. If you write a proper dispute letter, this shouldn’t be a case. We still recommend you use Dispute to generate automated letters for you. 

If your dispute is right, the inaccurate information should be removed from your credit report. But there are chances that your claim may be rejected. If you are sure about the information and the dispute, you can freely connect to an attorney and don’t have to fear it. Your attorney shall look into the process, and after a legal process, your dispute should be removed from the credit report if it is inaccurate. 

Final Words

It is essential to write a professional dispute letter and keep it short and precise to your disputes. You don’t need to elaborate the whole story; keep it up to a point and attach any supporting pieces of evidence. It would make your claim stronger. You can use Dispute Bee to create a complete automated dispute letter for you in one click, and you can then download the PDF and mail it to the respective credit bureaus.