Escaping financial abuse is a big step, but the journey doesn’t stop there. Many survivors find their credit has been damaged. Fixing your credit can help you rent a home, get a job, and become financially independent.
Here are some simple steps to help you rebuild your credit.
Note: This is Part 3 of our series. You can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
Step 1: Get Your Credit Report
First, you need to know where you stand.
- Order Your Reports – You can get a free credit report from each of the main credit reference agencies. This will show you your credit history.
- Check for Mistakes – Look for errors or accounts that don’t belong to you. Financial abusers may have taken out credit in your name.
Step 2: Correct Any Errors
If you see something wrong on your report:
- Contact the Credit Agency – Tell them about the mistake and ask for it to be removed.
- Keep Records – Save emails and letters to track your request.
- Follow-up – Check your report again to make sure the mistake is fixed.
Step 3: Protect Your Financial Information
- Freeze Your Credit – If you suspect that someone is stealing from you or making fraudulent claims with your details, this may be helpful to do temporarily while you look into it. This stops anyone from taking out credit in your name. Ask Juno for more details. Banks and other financial companies are obliged to help you with this so should be understanding.
- Check Your Credit Regularly – Free services can help you track changes to your credit. This helps you spot fraud early.
Step 4: Manage Your Debts
If you have debts:
- List What You Owe – Sort debts by size or by interest rate.
- Talk to Creditors – Some companies may let you pay in smaller amounts or reduce your debt. Citizen’s Advice are experts in helping with this. Stepchange is a national debt charity that can also help. Both of these organisations, like Juno, will help you for free.
Check online for your local Citizen’s Advice or look at their webpage for details:
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk
- Make a Plan – Try to pay off debts a little at a time. Organisations may look at your case with more understanding if they see that you are making a regular effort to pay toward your debts.
Step 5: Build Better Credit
To improve your credit score:
- Use a Secured Credit Card – This is a card where you put down a deposit. It helps rebuild credit if used wisely.
- Pay Bills on Time – Set up reminders or automatic payments.
- Keep Credit Low – Try not to use too much of your available credit. It’s easy to spend money, especially if you are struggling with issues like depression and mental health conditions. Try and access support for these issues. Nottingham Women’s Centre offers low-cost counselling. Details here:
Step 6: Get Expert Help
- Credit Advice – As mentioned, free services like StepChange and Citizen’s Advice can help with managing debt.
- Legal Help – If financial abuse has hurt your credit badly, a lawyer might be able to assist. You should be able to speak to one for free for a first appointment of thirty minutes.
- Juno’s Support – We are not financial experts, but we can help survivors like you with basic queries and signposting to other services.
Step 7: Be Patient and Stay Positive
Rebuilding credit takes time.
- Celebrate Progress – Each payment and each corrected mistake is a win.
- Be Kind to Yourself – This is a long-term journey, but you are taking back control.
Final Thoughts
Financial abuse does not define you. With time, support, and the right steps, you can repair your credit and rebuild your future.
At Juno, we are here for you. If you need advice or just a friendly chat, call or email our helpline. Our team is kind, and non-judgemental, and many are survivors themselves. There’s no pressure – just support whenever you need it. You can call or email us as soon as you wish to, or read more about the team who are waiting to hear from you.
Juno Help
Calls to our helpline are free from landlines and mobile phones within the UK and do not appear on itemised bills. There is no pressure and everything is confidential.
Helpline: 0808 800 0340
Sometimes our helpline is busy and you might not get through the first time, so please try again. We will always call you back if you leave a message stating it is safe to do so and if you leave us a safe contact number in your message.
If you are hearing impaired, text “Relay/NGT” to 18001 0808 800 0340. This option is available 24-hours a day, 365 days a year.
You can also email us on [email protected] 9 am – 9 pm.
Please note, we may not be able to respond to emails straight away, but will try to reply within 24 hours.
National Help
If you’re further afield, you could contact other charities like Women’s Aid, who have instant messaging and email contact on their website: https://www.womensaid.org.uk/
The National Domestic Abuse Helpline (0808 2000 247) also provide confidential support. They can help you make a safety plan, find safe housing, and access legal protections.
The deaf health charity Signhealth also runs a domestic abuse support service, DeafHope, using British Sign Language (BSL).
The Survivor’s Trust (for sexual abuse and assault support) – www.thesurvivorstrust.orgEscaping financial abuse is a big step, but the journey doesn’t stop there. Many survivors find their credit has been damaged. Fixing your credit can help you rent a home, get a job, and become financially independent.