In this day and age of the credit crunch, global recession, loss of jobs and financial hardship, it is best to have a good credit score in order for you to buy the things that you really need.
For some it will be quite easy as they might not have been affected by the economic downturn.
There are others though that are not so lucky and some of them are even becoming desperate to increase their credit score.
The lending rules from banks and other institutions have become very strict recently, and applying for credit is not as easy as it used to be.
The background checks from lenders have become much more rigid.
When you approach them and all your credentials checks out to be well, then your credit will be easily approved.
On the other hand however, if your score comes out low, you might have to pay back the loan at a substantially higher interest rate.
This could have been completely unnecessary if you just knew all the details about how to increase your credit score and get easier access to the loan.
So, if you find yourself in the above-mentioned position, and need to increase your credit score then it might be worth your while to look at the following five guidelines.

• Make an immediate effort to obtain a copy of your credit score and carefully scrutinize each and every item in order to establish whether there are any blatant errors.
  This should not be difficult and unless you are a reckless spender, mistakes will be picked up easily.
  
• In the event of there being mistakes you should not hesitate to contact the credit bureau from where the information was obtained from, and make them aware of the discrepancy that you picked up.
  
• Gather all the supporting documents like paid invoices and receipts in order to substantiate your claim, and then send it off to them.
  
• If the offices of the credit agency happens to be near your place of residence or employment, then make an appointment to see them.
  A face to face meeting will always deliver better results.
  
• During, or at the completion of the investigation, it will quickly become apparent if the error is due to a discrepancy on the side of the creditor.
  In this case, they will usually conclude your case speedily by eliminating the error from your file.
  This will then almost immediately increase your credit score.
  

The above scenario is of course applicable only in the event of there being errors.
If the fault is however coming from your side, then it is most likely due to reckless and uncontrolled personal financial management.
In this case you will have to resort to other solutions, if you wish to get a higher credit score.
Look at your spending patterns and try to prioritize exactly what, and for who you are buying things for.
Draw up a budget, with a firm commitment to only spend on the essentials, whilst cutting out all the luxuries.
Cash is king, so put away or even cut up that credit card which probably contributed hugely to the mess you might find yourself in.
Increasing your credit score is really not that difficult if you become serious and committed to looking after your finances wisely.