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Here are a few tips which will help create a good impression:
Ensure your name is always on the Electoral Roll at your current address
If you are employed, ideally wait until you have been working for that employer for more than a year before applying for credit.
If you are self-employed it can take a long time to build up a good credit rating so be sure to pay particular attention to the other "plus" points and if you are currently employed but planning to "go-it-alone", make sure you apply for any credit before you leave employment.
Keep credit applications to a minimum
If you are married, you are perceived to be a better credit risk by some lenders than if you are single
Try not to move too often - living in one place for some time is a plus point.
Pay your credit card bills on time. Missed payments are recorded.
It may seem strange - and rather unfair! - but being a model citizen who has never borrowed any money, never had a credit card or had debts of any kind, could actually make it harder for you to obtain credit than someone who has a slightly erratic credit history. Lenders are looking for a track record; if you have none they have nothing upon which to base a judgement. It may be to your advantage to apply for some sort of credit which would be readily granted (like an overdraft from your bank for instance) simply to establish a record, before applying for something more major like a mortgage or a credit card.
It pays to plan ahead. If you are thinking about buying your own home at some time in the future, make sure you have a record of previous addresses and keep proof of residency (like utility bills) and be sure to make all current credit payments on time.
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