A poor credit score can take the groove out of things in your life. Instead of being approved instantly for a loan, you’re treated like an irresponsible person. Even if you were irresponsible at one point in your life, something on your report from seven or eight years ago shouldn’t still haunt you.

When you’re on the mission of trying to clean up your credit report, here are some action steps you want to take.

1. Get copies of your credit report. Take a look at your credit report and see what’s real and what’s not. Some items could be an error that’s pulling your score down. There could be items that should have dropped off your report years ago.
2. Fix errors. When you see something that isn’t accurate, contact the credit reporting agency and let them know about it. You will need to probably send them a formal letter with your name, address, item in dispute, and any facts you have to back you up. Then you need to ask them to resolve the issue for you.

This is part one on steps you can take to fix your credit report. Check out Part 2 for more.