County Court Judgements (CCJs)

I have received notification of a County Court Judgement - what should I do?

This is a common court procedure and nothing to worry about too much and there are several things you should do as soon as possible.

Firstly check that the amount that the Judgment states that you owe is correct.

If you are in a position to pay the amount in full then do so within one month otherwise the CCJ will be registered with the Register of County Court Judgments and credit reference agencies will note this on your file. This may make it difficult for you to obtain credit in the future.

If you are unable to pay the amount in full straight away but can do so at a later date, then you do so, you should apply to the court for a Certificate of Satisfaction for £10. The CCJ will remain on your file for 6 years but potential lenders will be able to see that you have paid the debt.

If you are unable to pay the amount specified then you should ask the courts to "vary" the order by completing a form N245, obtainable from the court. They will ask you to give information about your regular income and expenditure (called a means enquiry). There is a £30 fee (payable to the courts) for submitting this application.

Amending an entry on the Register of County Court Judgments

If a Judgment is set aside or reversed, for example, on appeal or because it has been paid within one month, the court will automatically remove the entry from the Register of County Court Judgments.

The court must send notification of cancellation to the Registry Trust within three days of the date of the order. The entry should be removed from the Register and from the credit reference agencies databases within three to four weeks.

If you show you have paid the debt in full within one month of it being entered on the Register, you can have the entry cancelled. Otherwise, once the debt has been paid, you can apply to have the entry amended to show the debt has been paid. This does not remove the entry, it only marks it as paid or "satisfied". Whether or not a Judgment has been paid it will remain on your file for 6 years. After that time the records are deleted.

In England and Wales, a Certificate of Satisfaction, stating that the debt has been paid, can be obtained from the County Court in which the case was heard. The fee is £10. If the debt was not paid through the court, for example, it was paid direct to the lender, the court will require evidence that the Judgment has been satisfied, ie paid. The court will need the case number of the action. The number and the name of the court are shown on the Register of County Court Judgments, under your name, and on your credit reference file. The court will then issue a Certificate of Satisfaction to you and automatically inform the Registry Trust that the debt has been paid. There is no statutory time limit within which the court must do this.

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