HECS-HELP Debt and Credit Score

Money
1

Hi there,

As of mid-last year, I held two mobile phone accounts in my name but which our two daughters (who were 21 and 18 yo at the time) used.

I then advised them that they need to take responsibility for such and I wanted them to transfer the accounts to their names. We had no problem doing this for our youngest daughter (who is in university and doesn’t have a permanent job, but does some occasional tutoring), but our eldest daughter (who had finished university and was in a well-paid job) was rejected due to a poor credit score.

She took it up with the credit agencies (whose names I forget) who confirmed that this was the case (please bear in mind this is second-hand information :)), even though she had never had a late payment for anything. Apparently, the only “hint” they would give her was that she had not made any effort to repay any of her HECS-HELP debt above and beyond what the law requires. Has anyone else heard of this?

Thanks in advance.

2 Likes
2

Mozo is mozo not a credit bureau, but addresses that.

She would be well served to get a credit report if it was not part of her ‘taking it up with them’.

5 Likes
3

Thanks again Phil :slight_smile:

2 Likes
4

I used to make it a standard yearly practice. Put it in my diary. Send off a request to all the main credit database companies for my free report.
All sorts of information is gathered, and some of it could be wrong and needs to be corrected.
One insideous problem, now thankfully rare, was that credit card issuers would regularly invite you to increase your credit limit. Even if declined, a request for credit would be recorded, and even a few of those would be a red flag if you actually applied for something like a post-paid phone account. Which is essentially credit.

4 Likes