Frequently asked questions

Appeals Process

I’ve been declined following a credit check, can I appeal this decision?

Yes, you have 30 days from the date the outcome is known to raise your appeal.
The outcome known date, is the date you received your outcome email.

How do I raise an appeal on a credit check decision?

We are committed to responsible lending and, as part of this, review each customer’s past financial behaviours and current ability to afford the loan. For this reason, we are unable to lend to individuals with certain credit impairments (learn more about how we make our credit decision). Which is why we ask customers to ensure the information held by the credit reference agencies is correct, before we consider your appeal.

If the information showing on your credit report is incorrect, you will need to take this up with your credit reference agency before we decide on your credit appeal, as we use information provided by them in our credit check. Where appropriate, we can then look to review the credit decision upon any corrections being made in your customer facing credit report.

For more information about your credit history, please visit Experian.

You can raise an appeal by contacting SUL and completing our form.

If you do decide to appeal you will be asked to provide a valid reason(s) why your appeal should be heard and a copy of your customer facing credit report.

I’ve been declined following a credit re-run, can I appeal this decision?

Yes, you have 30 days from the date the outcome is known to raise your appeal.

The outcome known date, is the date you received your outcome email.

How do I raise an appeal on a credit re-run decision?

You can contact your Business Support Partner by phone or email, their details can be found within your customer portal or on a recent email or you can contact us at SUL using our form.

We can then look into the reason for the decline. There might be numerous reasons why you may have been declined, which could include a change in your financial circumstances, since our last credit-check, which due to our commitment to responsible lending, may be why you’ve since been declined.

Can I appeal the assessment decision?

Yes, you have 30 days from the date the outcome is known to raise your appeal with your Business Support Partner.

The outcome known date, is the date you received your outcome email.

How do I raise an appeal on an assessment decision?

You can contact your Business Support Partner by phone or email, their details can be found within your customer portal or on a recent email.

If you do decide to appeal you will be asked to provide a valid reason(s) why you think their original decision was wrong. You will be able to provide additional information to support your appeal.

Your Business Support Partner can help identify what additional information will be needed.

What is the assessment appeals process?

Your Business Support Partner will independently review your application, reviewing the original application and any new information you have provided in support of your application.

As all our assessments initially go through a dual assessment process, it is therefore rare that a decline decision is overturned on appeal.

If your appeal is not upheld, you can reapply 6 months from the initial decision, which will give you time to improve the viability of your business or to address any affordability concerns that were raised.

If your appeal is upheld, then your application will proceed as normal and your Business Support Partner will guide you through any next steps.

How long does the appeal investigation take?

Once you have provided the necessary information for your appeal, we will inform you of how long this will take. If we need to ask you for more information, the investigation may take longer to conclude. We will always inform you of this, if this is the case.