Hard Inquiry (Hard Pull)

Full Explanation

A hard inquiry occurs when a lender checks your credit report as part of a loan or credit card application. Hard inquiries are visible to other lenders and can temporarily lower your credit score by 5–10 points. In Canada, multiple hard inquiries for the same type of loan (e.g., mortgage shopping) within a 14–45 day window are typically counted as a single inquiry by the bureaus, encouraging rate shopping. Hard inquiries remain on your credit report for 3 years but only affect your score for about 12 months.