Sadly, there is no getting around the fact that pretty much any debt solution that you enter into will change your credit score for the worse. However, if you have already been missing repayments, then your credit score will already be negatively affected. Entering into a debt solution should be seen as making a fresh start, an opportunity to build yourself and your credit score back up.
The question of how long it could take to rebuild your credit score is a common one. There is no short term fix for this issue, but a DAS (Debt Arragement Scheme) will stay on your credit file for 6 years. This is because your credit file shows 6 years of credit history. So eventually, those missed payments or debt solutions will ‘fall off the end’. Once this happens, your score will improve.
To find out more, take a look at our Debt Arrangement Scheme page.