How long do missed payments stay on a credit file?

Neil Munroe from credit reference agency Experian confirms:

"It's six years from when the agreement actually finishes, so when it's settled."

So with a mortgage that could be six years from some time in the future if the individual is still still paying off their mortgage. So the mortgage has to come to an end and then it's six years?

Neil Munroe: "Yes, that's right. That's what's agreed. It can be a long time, obviously it may be slightly longer for people in the current climate because they may not be changing mortgages. Obviously when you change a mortgage and settle the old one that record would then be settled and it would run from there so it could be an issue that will be around for a while. As I say, the point of the matter is that lenders will look at more recent behaviour and the older that information gets, the less weight it will have."

As featured on BBC radio 4 Moneybox Live