I'm trying to make my credit profile look as good as possible in readiness for buying a house (realistically 18 months away).

I have two credit cards which I don't use and don't intend to. One has a limit of £1200 and the other is £200.

Is it better to cancel cards you don't use or should I keep hold of one/both and start using it regularly?

I asked a similar question on Moneysavingexpert but got no responses.

I personally would cycle them. Load your fuel for a month and clear it down with regular payment. That said, if you've 3 other cards then I'd get shot as you'd have access to money, which lenders consider.

From what I gathered while listening to Martin Lewis on R5L just now, in the UK a) we don't actually have a "credit rating score" as they do in the US for example and b) each place you approach tends to have a different approach depending on which criteria you fulfil.

Main attraction for them are your ability to pay through a regular income, i.e. that you're a good "risk".

Using the upper limit card once or twice for a major purchase and then paying the balance off immediately won't do any harm.

I use my credit card to protect on purchases. Had to use it a few times. I book holidays etc on ours.

I plan later in the year to buy a car from a dealer and paying my deposit on one.

Yep credit cards do have their uses. We have Santander 123 & pay our supermarket bills & fuel etc. We tend to get back £40 odd each month just for paying up on time, no brainer for me.

Regarding the cards you don't intend to use, ditch them as said.

Yes - many things on your credit profile are double-edged. My Experian profile is currently 987 out of 999 - having a track record of managing credit is a good thing but using too much of that credit knocks things back. Also, as you take out a new line of credit, your score tends to go down but as you build a track record, it builds it back up again.
What is a good idea is checking that there's no incorrect data on there. I'm stunned how easy it is for companies to put rubbish on your report. My credit card company decided to reset my direct debit - cancelling one and starting a new one. They then tried to call on the one they just cancelled and, of course, it was rejected by the bank. So they then put a missed payment on my report (having said they wouldn't). Fortunately this flagged for me and I was able to go back and get it sorted but it just goes to show what can happen.

Also, there are a couple of sites out there offering free credit reports:

www.noddle.co.uk
www.clearscore.co.uk

Beggars, I think you meant - ClearScore

Yeah, I did mean that one

As mentioned "Available Credit" could be an issue so close any accounts down that you do not use, but keep one to use and pay it off regularly

When applying for a mortgage outstanding debt is the main thing that determines what you can borrow and by borrowing a bit more to clear the debts with your equity (if you are selling a house too) can mean you can borrow a staggering amount more than the "actual" extra amount of money you have just borrowed to pay outstanding debt off

It's a negative to NOT have a credit card despite any other obligations you have and are clearing successfully - but I don't believe it's a hindrance to obtaining credit in the future provided the history is ok too.