If you live in England or Wales and your creditor takes court action you’ll receive a county court judgment (CCJ)
This is the process to recover debts in England and Wales, after court action has been taken. The process is different if you live in Northern Ireland or Scotland.
A CCJ is only registered once you’ve received a letter called ‘Judgment for Claimant’. This will then register on your credit file for 6 years.
The ‘Judgment for Claimant’ letter will either give you a monthly instalment amount or ask you to pay the full amount immediately or ‘forthwith’.
If you own your home, your creditors could also apply for a charging order once you’ve got a CCJ. A charging order will secure the debt against your home.
If you don’t make the correct payments on time, the creditor can ask the court to enforce payment using one of the following methods:
- A warrant of execution, which means a visit from the bailiffs
- An attachment of earnings order
- A charging order (If you’ve received a CCJ after 1st October 2012, your creditors can apply for a charging order even if you haven’t missed payments to your CCJ).
- In some cases, they could enforce the debt through the high court
Your creditors could also apply for an examination of means (the court asks you to attend a hearing to give evidence of your financial situation) or a third party debt order (the court takes money directly from your bank account) but these types of enforcement are very rare.
Free help and support
If you’ve received court forms, or you’ve got a CCJ that you can’t afford to pay, we can give you the help and support you need. Our Debt Remedy online tool will assess your personal situation and recommend the best way forward.
If you’d prefer to speak to us call our freephone Helpline on 0800 138 1111 and one of our expert advisors will be able to answer any questions you have.
