Credit Bureau Dispute Letter
The letter that starts a formal FCRA § 611 investigation with Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion. Free, and the same letter a paid service would send on your behalf.
FCRA § 611 (15 U.S.C. § 1681i)
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Free Letter Templates
The letters people are routinely charged for. Copy them, change them, send them yourself — and read what each one honestly cannot do before you use it.
How to use these
A letter is not magic. It is a way of putting a specific legal request in front of a specific party, in writing, with a date on it. Which letter you need depends entirely on who you are writing to and what you are asking for — and sending the wrong one costs you time you may not have.
Each template on this page opens with three things: what it does, when to use it, and what it cannot do. That third one is the section other sites leave out. Read it first.
This is a free template you may adapt and send yourself. HomeBuyers Alliance does not send it for you, does not review your file, and does not charge for it. A template is a starting point — the facts you add are what matters, and inaccurate statements in a dispute can carry consequences.
Debt Validation Letter
Sent to a debt collector — not a credit bureau — within 30 days of their first contact. It obliges the collector to stop collection activity until it verifies the debt.
FDCPA § 809 (15 U.S.C. § 1692g)
Identity Theft Block Request
The strongest remedy in the Fair Credit Reporting Act — and the one with criminal consequences for misuse. For accounts you genuinely did not open.
FCRA § 605B (15 U.S.C. § 1681c-2) Read the warning first
Goodwill Letter
A short, human request asking a creditor to remove an isolated late payment as a courtesy. No statute compels it, and that is the whole point.
None — this is a discretionary request, not a legal right
Read this before using an identity theft block
The identity theft block under FCRA § 605B (15 U.S.C. § 1681c-2) is powerful: when you submit an identity theft report and proof of identity, the credit bureau must block the disputed information within four business days.
That power is exactly why it is protected. Filing a false identity theft report with the FTC or with a law enforcement agency is a federal crime. Making a materially false statement to a federal agency is punishable under 18 U.S.C. § 1001 by fines and up to five years in prison, and false police reports carry criminal penalties in every state.
Use § 605B only for accounts that you genuinely did not open or authorize. Never use it to try to remove a debt that is yours. If the debt is yours and the reporting is accurate, this is the wrong tool and using it is not a gray area.