Timeline Tips for Wells Law - Chicago Clients & Potential Clients

If you are dealing with errors on a credit report, background report, tenant screening report, insurance report, banking report, or any other consumer report, it is very important that you keep a written timeline of everything that happens.

If it involves your consumer report or anything that happened because of it, write it down in your timeline—and save the documents separately.

Important Note About Privilege ✨

Your timeline is not evidence.

Even if you are not yet a Wells Law – Chicago client, this document is a confidential, attorney-client working document created detail what happened and when. It is protected by privilege.

⚠️ Documents and materials referenced in your timeline may become evidence in a legal case. That is why they must be carefully saved and preserved.

What Your Timeline Should Cover

Your timeline should include every communication you have had with:

1) Any Consumer or Credit Reporting Agency you’re dealing with.

This includes, for example:

Credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion)
Tenant screening companies
Employment or background check companies
Insurance reporting companies
Banking or check-verification companies
Any other company that prepared or sold a report about you

2) Any Furnisher of Information

This includes any company or person that supplied information about you to a reporting agency, such as:

Creditors and lenders
Banks and credit card companies
Debt collectors and collection agencies
Landlords or property managers
Employers or former employers
Utility companies or telecom providers
Insurance companies
Any other business that reported information about you

3) Any Company or Person Who Denied You a Right or Benefit

Include communications with anyone who took an adverse action against you based on a consumer report, such as:

An employer who denied you a job
A landlord who denied your rental application
A bank that denied you a loan or closed your account
An insurer that raised your rates or denied coverage
A creditor who denied you credit or increased your interest rate

4) Any Third Party You Contacted About the Problem

Include communications with any outside party you contacted for help or accountability, such as:

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
Your state Attorney General
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
A housing authority or civil rights agency
A regulator or licensing board
A news outlet or consumer-protection reporter
A legal aid office or advocacy organization

What Counts as a “Communication”?

Include all of the following:

Letters you sent or received
Emails you sent or received
Text messages
Online disputes or portal messages
Phone calls you made or received
Voicemails you left or received
In-person conversations

🔔 If it involved your report or something that happened because of your report, include it. It’s best to be over inclusive than to risk leaving something out.

What Details to Write Down for Each Entry

For each event or communication, write:

When
Who
The name of the company and, if known, the person(s) you dealt with
What happened
A clear description of what was said
(Include as much detail as you can remember)
Outcome or response
What happened as a result, if anything
Why it matters (optional but helpful)
For example:
“This was when I first disputed the error.”
“This was when I was denied the job.”
“This was when the bank said it relied on my report.”
Related documents or materials
List every document, screenshot, letter, email, recording, or report connected to that entry

Save Everything

Do not delete or throw away any documents or evidence.

💾 While your timeline itself is not evidence, the documents and materials referenced in it may become evidence in a legal case and

must be preserved.

This includes:

All versions of your consumer reports
Background, tenant screening, insurance, or banking reports
Dispute letters and confirmation pages
Emails and letters
Screenshots of online portals
Text messages (save screen shots)
Denial letters or adverse action notices
Notes from phone calls
Voicemails (preserve recordings)
Regulator complaints and responses

These items may become important evidence if legal action is taken.

Example Timeline Entries

Example 1 – Credit Report Errors

January 16, 2024
I checked my credit report on AnnualCreditReport.com and noticed two accounts that do not belong to me. I also saw an employer and an address that I have never worked for or lived at.

Example 2 – Job Denial Based on a Background Check

April 26, 2025
I was denied a job at Smiley Corp. because of inaccurate information on a First Advantage background check report dated April 24, 2025. The report falsely states that I was arrested for felony assault. I have never been arrested and have no criminal history. I applied for a guest relations liaison position.

Example 3 – Dispute Response from Tenant Screening Company

May 10, 2025
I submitted a dispute to CoreLogic SafeRent regarding an inaccurate entry with a prior landlord - Highrise Plus. I sent via certified mail return receipt requested.

📄 A Simple Template You Can Use

- You can copy and paste this format -

Date:
Company / Person:
Category: (credit bureau, background check company, employer, landlord, bank, regulator, etc.)
Type of Communication: (letter, email, phone call, online dispute, etc.)
What Happened:
Outcome or Response:
Related Documents or Materials (saved separately):