The average person goes through life and doesn't think twice about their credit report. That is until tragedy hits. It is at this point and time that the credit report becomes the most important thing in the world to the individual. My friend Julia filled out an application for an apartment. Eliminated her lease on the old apartment, and was days away from moving in. The morning of the big move she received a call from the complex telling her that her application was denied because of her credit report.

Julia called me in tears. She didn't have a clue what to do about her unfortunate situation. I explained to her that thanks to "The Fair Credit Reporting Act" that every American is entitled to at least one free credit report per year. We pulled her free credit bureau report. She was shocked to find that not one of the negative marks on her report belonged to her.

Julia and I proceeded to the next step in the credit repair process. We identified each negative ding on her credit report. I advised Julia to go through her records and try to find any proof that would show that these were errors on her report.

Julia was almost ready to send off her letter of dispute. You must mail your letter of dispute by certified mail. This will be the only proof of the time and date in which you mailed your dispute claims.

By neglecting the aforementioned step could cost you dearly in the long run. The credit bureaus have 30 days to investigate your claims. If they fail to do so during that time according to the law they must remove the marks in question. It is you that must have proof.

I hope that I got my point across in this article. I want you to understand that you are entitled to a free credit bureau report. I decided to share this information by sharing a real life story of a close friend of mine. However I strongly advise that you continue to educate yourself on the credit repair process.