There have been plenty of reasons to get people thinking about making that first leap onto the property ladder in recent months, including Help to Buy schemes, the removal of stamp duty charges for about 95% of first time buyers and an increase in affordable houses being built.

Late payments are a common entry on Credit Reports and can occur against all credit agreements – everything from mortgages to store cards. Unless you have a Direct Debit set up to make repayments automatically each month, you’re reliant on remembering to physically make your repayments each month and inevitably, mistakes happen.

Bank holidays may not guarantee a day of sun-soaked fun, but as is British tradition, we’d probably be quite happy barbecuing in the snow if it came to it. But no matter what your plans are, if you want to grab a bargain, you can use the Bank Holiday sales to save some serious money.

Most people are aware that your credit report and rating have a heavy bearing on whether a lender accepts or declines an application, and the rate of interest that comes with the account. However, not everyone knows that credit scoring – in the form of a particular lenders’ appetite for ‘risk’ - can continue to have an impact on your account even after it has been opened.