Subject Access Request

A Subject Access Request is a right that consumers have under the Data Protection Act 1998 to obtain from any company the information that is held about them by that company.

The ‘subject’ or ‘data subject’ means the consumer.

‘Access’ is the statutory right that a consumer has to obtain a copy of the information.

The ‘request’, within the meaning of a Subject Access Request, is the formal procedure of applying for the information in writing, and the payment of a statutory fee, usually of £10.

Any individual can ask to see all of the information that any company holds about themselves that is held on computer and/or is stored in any paper records that can be easily retrieved (e.g. in a filing cabinet).

To make a Subject Access Request, you need to write to the person or organisation that hold your information and send the appropriate fee. Each company may encourage you to complete its own version of a Subject Access Request form, as this will ensure that you supply it with sufficient information to respond promptly, although the law allows you to make a request using a simple letter.

In most cases, the fee is £10, but if you make a Subject Access Request to a credit reference agency for your credit report, then the fee is reduced to £2, and the information must be provided within seven working days.

In most other cases, any other company must reply within 40 days to a Subject Access Request, and if the company needs further information to enable it to do so, it must act promptly in requesting any further information necessary to fulfil the Subject Access Request.

In addition to checking your credit report when assessing you for credit, most lenders check fraud prevention databases. You can find out what is held on fraud prevention databases by sending a Subject Access Request, together with the fee of £10, to each of the companies concerned, which include CIFAS and Hunter.

Remember that the CIFAS Entries on the credit report that is visible to you may only be a subset of the full information that CIFAS holds about you.

More Credit Definitions

Accident Sickness And Unemployment Insurance (ASU)
Additional Cardholder
Adjudication
Administration Order
Adverse Credit
AER
Agreement In Principle
Amortisation
Annual Equivalent Rate (AER)
Annual Fee
Annual Percentage Rate (APR)
Annuity Mortgage
Application Score
Application Search
APR
Arrangement Fee
Arrangement To Pay
Arrears
Attachment Of Earnings Order
Bank Reference
Bankruptcy Order
Base Rate
Bridging Loan
Broker
Building Society
Bureau Score
Buy To Let
CAIS
Callcredit
Callscore
Cap
Cap And Collar
Capital
Capital And Interest Mortgage
Capitalised Interest
Capped Rate
Card Protection
Cash Advance
CCA
CCJ
CCN
CCTA
Charge Card
Charge Over Equitable Interest
Charging Order
CIFAS
CIFAS Case Type
CIFAS Entry
CML
Collar
Collateral
Commission
Consolidation Loan
Consumer Credit Act 1974
Consumer Credit Trade Association.
Cooling Off Period
County Court Judgment (CCJ)
Court Information
Credit
Credit Agreement
Credit Card
Credit Card Cheques
Credit File
Credit Impaired
Credit Limit
Credit Rating
Credit Reference
Credit Report
Credit Score
Credit Search
Data Sharing
Deed Release Fee
Default
Delinquent
Delinquent Account
Delphi
Deposit Account
Depreciation
Disassociation
Discounted Rate Mortgage
Drawdown Loan
Dynamic Delinquency
Early Repayment Penalty
Electoral Roll
Endowment Mortgage
Endowment Policy
Enquiry
Equifax
Equity
Equity Release
Experian
Extended Credit Taker
Fair Isaac
FICO Score
Financial Association
Financial Ombudsman Service
Financial Services Authority (FSA)
First Mortgage
Fixed Rate
Fixed Rate Mortgage
Flexible Loan
Forced Sale Value (FSV)
FSA
FSV
Full Payer
Further Advance
GAIN
Garnishee Order
General Insurance Standards Council (GISC)
Geodemographic Data
GISC
Gone Away Information Network (GAIN)
Guarantor
Health Insurance
Higher Lending Fee
Household Score
Hunter
Joint And Several
Kerbside Valuation
Lending Multiplier
Liability
Lien
LTV
Lump Sum Reduction
Money Laundering
Mortgage
Mortgage Indemnity Insurance
Mortgage Payment Protection
Mortgage Valuation
Mortgagee
Mortgagor
Multiplier
Negative Equity
Non Status Mortgage
Notice Of Arrears
Notice Of Correction
Notice Of Default
Notice Of Default Sums
Offset Mortgage
Ombudsman
Oral Examination
Overdraft
Overdraft Limit
Overpayment
P60
Payment Holiday
Payment Protection
Payment Protection Insurance (PPI)
Pension Mortgage
Personal Loan
Plastic
Portable Mortgage
Principles Of Reciprocity
Proof Of Income
Propensity Score
Protective Registration
Public Information
Reciprocity
Redemption Penalty
Refinancing
Remortgage
Repayment Mortgage
Repossession
Schumer Box
SCOR
Scottish Decree
Search Footprint
Searches
Second Mortgage
Secured Loan
Security
Self Certification
Sequestration
Set Off
Share
Shared Equity
Shared Ownership
Sharking
Shortfall
Standard Variable Rate
Status Report
Sub Prime Credit
Subject Access Request
Subsequent Mortgage
Summary Box
Third Party Data (TPD)
Title Deed
TPD Rules
Tracker Mortgage
Trade Organisation
Trust Deed
Underwriters
Unsecured Loan
Valuation
Victim Of Impersonation
Wait Period
Warrant Of Execution
Wescore
Writ Of Fi Fa
Z Score

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