The goal of a credit bureau dispute letter is to identify mistakes or misrepresented items on a credit report and request the credit bureaus make corrections. As the credit repair specialist, correcting these mistakes requires contacting the credit bureaus directly, with the right information about a client, to dispute an error on your client’s behalf.
Learn four things that every credit repair business owner should know to send a credit bureau dispute letter.
1. Decide Which Items to Dispute First
When you start out with a credit repair client, they may be tempted to tackle everything at once. That method may seem logical to your clients, however as experts in the industry we know it’s not always the best. Rather, it makes more sense to address, at most, five negative items at a time.
Decide with your client which items they want to remove first.
It might make sense to start with items that have the most noticeable impact on your client’s financial profile like:
- Marks that may indicate fraudulent activity
- An activity that caused a significant hit to his or her credit score
Another approach is to tackle debts that can be easily proven incorrect (and theoretically resolved faster). Like those that have documentation to support your complaint:
- Police reports showing a client was victim to identity theft
- A bankruptcy schedule verifying the account was included in a bankruptcy filing
- Letters from creditors showing how to correct an account
- Canceled checks demonstrating a collection has been paid
- Court documents for public records
Save time and effort of scouring each credit report for these criteria by using an automated tool like Simple Audit to run that checklist for you.
2. Write a Customized Dispute Letter
When writing a dispute letter, it’s generally advised to write it in the first person narrative, and from your client's perspective. Additionally, make your points as clear and customized as possible so the credit bureaus don’t have to contact you for clarification and can make updates quickly.
You may see samples of dispute letters floating around on the internet–beware of using these templates. Dispute letters to credit bureaus have a different tone and outline than other dispute letters. If you haven’t yet written a dispute letter, or don’t know which template to follow, consider the following resources:
- Learn how to write a dispute letter to one of the three credit bureaus
- For more information on how to tailor a dispute letter for each client, read “The Credit Repair Business Owner’s Guide to Contacting Credit Bureaus”
3. Find Where to Address a Credit Bureau Dispute Letter
With so much sensitive information involved, getting the letter to the right place is essential.
It can be difficult to weed through the departments within each bureau to find the correct address to send the dispute letter to. That’s why we’ve streamlined the process for you.
Before addressing your envelope, double check that you’re sending the dispute letter to the appropriate bureau. Your letter should be addressed to the credit bureau that has the error listed. The letter will always be assigned to one of the three bureaus; Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion.
Use this list with the three credit bureau addresses for sending disputes:
Equifax Information Services LLC
P.O. Box 740256
Atlanta, GA 30374 - 0256
Experian
P.O. Box 4500
Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion LLC Consumer Dispute Center
PO Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016
4. Send the Dispute Letter
Though this may seem straightforward, for the most trustworthy transaction, you should follow these steps to help track the journey of your dispute letter:
- Send dispute letters by good old-fashioned snail mail
- Purchase Certified Mail receipts
- Keep track of receipts to know when the bureaus received your client’s dispute letter
These steps give visibility into the entire dispute process so you can keep your client informed.
Ready to tackle a dispute letter for your client? Download our credit bureau dispute letter for free.
