Types of Listings

The type of listings on your credit record are broken down into four major categories: Payment Profile; Adverse Information (previously called Defaults); Judgments; and Notices.

Depending on the type of negative listing, you will either not qualify for credit at all (where for example you have a Notice on your credit record) or have to pay much more (by way of interest, an upfront deposit, increased security or loaded settlement terms). So, it is best to try to have as many of these negative listings removed as possible.

So how bad is each listing type?

The worst listings are without doubt Notices. If you have been placed under debt counselling or administration or been sequestrated you will not get credit, full stop. You can apply to court to have the situation corrected. Likewise, if you have been rehabilitated, chances are you will not get credit until the Notice is removed. Unless any Notice is removed you cannot get credit because the credit provider is acting recklessly or even illegally in lending you money.

Judgments are the next most serious type of listing. They are highly likely to stop you getting credit. In rare cases you may still get credit despite having had a judgment granted against you. You will just pay far more for the credit. Much depends on the amount of the judgment, how long ago judgment was granted, what other listings you have and whether your payments over the last two years have been on time or were frequently missed or delayed. Fortunately getting a judgment removed is relatively simple - you need to go to court to have the judgment cancelled.

Adverse Information can stop you getting credit but in most cases it will impact the cost of credit more than your ability to get credit. Again, much depends on whether it was a recent listing and whether the account remains unpaid. Although this type of listing can be removed on instruction by the creditor most refuse to do so unless they receive a detailed motivation proving you were not at fault, such as retrenchment or hospitalisation. At the very least it is important to have the listing amended to reflect that the account was paid.

Payment Profile information changes monthly as the payments made or alternatively missed during that month get noted on your credit record. The most recent data gets added while the oldest data gets deleted. It is far less serious than the other types of listing but like the other types of listing, if you have a very poor payment profile during the last six to twelve months you will either not get credit or find the cost of credit far higher.