What is a soft credit search?

What it is

There are two kinds of credit search a firm can run when they look at your credit file. A hard search leaves a footprint that other lenders can see when they check your file later. Repeated hard searches in a short window can pull your credit score down a little and signal to future lenders that you’re actively looking for credit, which can affect mortgage or loan decisions. A soft search is different. It’s invisible to other lenders, and it does not affect your credit score at all.

The credit reference agencies — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion — record soft searches in a section of your file that only you can see when you log in. Firms use soft searches for things like eligibility checks, identity verification, fraud prevention, and, in the context of motor finance claims, looking across your wider credit history to identify lenders, agreements and dates you may have forgotten. Under FCA rules, a firm has to be clear with you about which type of search it’s running and why.

Why it matters for your claim

Many people who took out PCP or HP finance years ago can’t remember the lender, the exact start date, or whether the paperwork is still in a drawer somewhere. A soft search across the credit reference agencies can usually surface the lender name, the type of agreement, the start date, and sometimes the agreement number — without affecting your credit score and without alerting the lender. Total Claim’s 60-second eligibility check is a soft search by design. Using it doesn’t commit you to a claim, doesn’t affect future borrowing, and doesn’t share your identity with the lender at the lookup stage.