FAQ’s

No, there is no cost to register with the VRS.

Your registration with the VRS lasts for a minimum of three months, then if you or your representative feels your situation has improved sufficiently you can ask us to remove your details – once your details have been removed from the VRS nobody will be able to see that you were ever registered. You can then re-register whenever you feel it is appropriate.

Typically all we require is your name, address, date of birth, an email address and a phone number. We do not record any reasons for your registration, and no other personal data is recorded on the VRS.

Typically users will register themselves, but in some cases a third party authorised to act on their behalf (for example under power of attorney) may do so.

The VRS is a registration tool which enables people experiencing vulnerability to make sure that lenders and other organisations they interact with take their circumstances into account.

No, the VRS is independent of Credit Reference Agencies. We do share data with them, but it won’t affect your credit score.

No, you don’t have to explain the cause. You can use our ‘sub-flags’ to give more information around your vulnerability/ies – i.e. mental health, physical disability, dyslexia etc, but not what has caused them.

We don’t try to provide a strict definition of vulnerability, which can take many forms – it might be mental illness, incapacity, addiction, or something else. Many different forms of vulnerability however can lead to similar patterns of behaviour which can result in problem debts – these include lack of perspective, inability foresee problems, and poor assessment of risk.

VRS is completely independent from the credit reference agencies and does not share information with them.

Yes. The VRS takes the security of your personal information very seriously and uses equivalent security measures to online banking.

Organisations that use the VRS will see the information you’ve given – your name, address, date of birth and contact details, along with any vulnerability sub-flags that you’ve chosen. They will also see whether you have chosen to be automatically declined for any credit applications you make, or whether you’ve asked to have any applications looked at manually and discussed with you.

Only organisations that are signed up to the VRS will be able to see your status, and only if they need to make a decision relating to you.

We charge a membership fee and a cost per search is applied appropriate to the number of annual searches.