For better or worse, your credit score paints a picture of who you are as a consumer. It proves you are who you say you are – and that you can be trusted to act in a company’s best interests. It’s true that having a low credit score can present plenty of extra barriers or challenges in your life, but can having a less-than-perfect credit score really hold you back in the world of work? Unfortunately, the answer is yes – albeit not always.

Being a single parent family is a unique experience that can be challenging in all sorts of ways. Add financial worries into the mix and it can be a recipe for anxiety, as even the most reasonable of us tend to focus on the necessities, treats and experiences we feel unable to give our children. Over time, this can trigger feelings of guilt, shame and exhaustion.

Credit scores are one small part of life, but they don’t always feel that way. When you have a low score, it can feel like there are big barriers all around, holding you back and stopping you from accessing the things you want or need. This can be frustrating – particularly when you are confident that you’ll be able to afford the repayments.

Here at Fair for You, we want to help you access affordable and flexible credit that is right for you and your circumstances. That’s why we carry out affordability checks as part of our loan application process. One way of carrying out these affordability checks is by asking to see copies of your bank statements. This allows us to gain an insight into your income and expenditure, which helps us decide whether a loan from us will be affordable for you.