How To Do a Credit Check On Anyone in South Africa


Need to run a credit check on a tenant or someone else? You’ve come to the right place. In this guide I’ll explain how to run a credit check on someone in a step-by-step format.

You can do a credit check on a tenant, or anyone in South Africa by using the website Windeed’s consumer profile search powered by Experian. The service only costs R37.35 per search, and you will need the individual’s written permission, surname, South African I.D, or passport number.

Once you’ve made an application, here’s a sample of the information you’ll get.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Since you’re requesting someone’s personal information straight from the credit bureau of South Africa, you’ll need to register for WinCredit. Due to the National Credit Act (NCA), you need WinCredit to access someone’s personal information from any credit bureau. So without WinCredit approval, you won’t get permission from the platform to run the search.

Feeling a bit confused? Don’t worry, if you what you’re doing it’s actually pretty easy.

In a nutshell, to run a credit check on someone using Windeed, you’ll need to:

  1. First, register your user profile on Windeed.
  2. Then you’ll need to register for WinCredit to get access to credit bureau information.
  3. Once you’re approved, you’ll be able to run the credit check on your tenant or anyone else as long as you have their written permission.

This guide will walk you through exactly how to do this step by step.

01. Register on Windeed

The first step is to register a personal account on Windeed’s website. This step is extremely quick and simple. All you’ll need is an email, and a phone number and you’re good to go.

  1. First, visit Windeed’s registration page here.
  2. Next, select if you would like to register as an individual or as a company.
  3. Insert your personal name, working email address, and a valid phone number.
  4. Read WinDeed terms and conditions, then make sure you check the “I confirm…” box.
  5. Click on submit at the bottom of the application page.
  6. Once done, go to your email and click on the verification email WinDeed sent you.
  7. Once you clicked on the verification link, you’ll now need to create a password.
  8. Now login to the Windeed platform.
  9. Read through and agree to the terms and conditions.

Done! You now have access to WinDeed. However, to run a consumer profile credit check search on someone, you’ll have to register for WinCredit.

I’ll cover exactly how to do that in the next step.

02. Register For WinCredit

Ok, so you’ve registered for WinDeed, and you’re logged in to your account, now what?

Well, most people would say go ahead and select the Experian consumer profile option and run the credit check search. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.

If you try to run a credit check, you’ll get this notice from Windeed “This search requires WinCredit Activation.” Here’s why. According to the National Credit Act, you have to register for ‘WinCredit’ before getting access to any credit bureau information.

So this unfortunately is a step you can’t skip!

Here’s exactly how to register for WinCredit:

  1. Download and complete this WinCredit application form
  2. Get digital copies of your documents together *View below to see documents you’ll need.
  3. Once done, email the form and any supporting documents that they require to windeed.admin@lexisnexis.co.za.

How long do they take to approve you?

According to Windeed, once they receive the application, it should take them a few days to review and approve your WinCredit application.

Digital documents you’ll need for WinCredit Application?

When emailing through your WinCredit registration form make sure you email through legible digital copies of these documents.

Documents you’ll need as an individual:

  • Completed WinCredit application form
    Copy of ID.
  • Copy of utility bill or other approval documentation that validates street address (less than 3 months old).
  • Copy of individual bank statement or canceled cheque reflecting the name of the individual as the account holder (less than 3
    months old.)
  • Some individuals require additional documentation/certification (a Lexis WinDeed administrator will advise when necessary.)

Documents you’ll need as a company:

  • Completed WinCredit application form.
  • Copy of company bank statement or canceled cheque reflecting the name of the company as the account holder (less than 3
    months old.)
  • Copy of utility bill or other approved documentation that validates street address (less than 3 months old.)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Some individuals and companies might have to send through other documents, however, WinDeed admin will get in touch with you via email if this is necessary.

Need help?

If you need help with the WinCredit application, you can also contact the Windeed support team on 0861 946 333 or email windeed.admin@lexisnexis.co.za.

03. Run The Credit Check

Ok, so now that you’re approved for WinCredit, you’ll be able to access any credit bureau information through the WinDeed website, including someone’s credit record.

But before you run a credit check on someone, you’ll need these details from the individual first:

  • Written permission. Make sure you have written permission from the individual. Once you get it, make sure you keep proof of permission for at-least 12 months in case you get audited.
  • South African I.D or passport number.
  • Name, middle name, and surname.

Once you have those details together, go through these steps to do the credit check:

Login to your personal Windeed account.

Fund your Windeed account with R50 voucher.

Once logged in, you need to fund your account with at-least R38 to cover the credit check by ‘buying a voucher.’ Unfortunately, the lowest voucher amount that you can buy is R50.

  1. Click on ‘Buy Voucher’ at the top right of your screen.
  2. Choose the voucher amount. You’ll need to use the R50 voucher.
  3. Click on all the boxes to confirm
  4. Click on ‘submit payment’ at the bottom right of your screen
  5. You’ll be taken to a new screen Insert debit or credit card details here, then click on the ‘Pay R50’ button.

Start credit search using Experian Consumer Profile Search.

Once your account has been funded with R50, you’ll now be able to do the credit search.

  1. On the left menu, select the ‘Person’ menu option
  2. Next, select the Experian Consumer Profile’ sub-menu option
  3. Insert the individual in question personal details. For I.D you can use either passport or I.D number.
  4. Click on the ‘Next’ button at the bottom right.
  5. Follow the prompts.

That’s it, you should get instant access to the individual’s credit history details. Pretty cool huh?

Final Thoughts

Running a credit check is more difficult than I first thought, however, after doing it once, it becomes a lot easier. The hardest part is getting your application in for WinCredit.

YOUR TURN: Do you know of a better way to run a credit check on someone? Did I miss anything in this article that should be corrected? Let us know in the comments below so we can start learning from each other.

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