County Court Judgements
When you receive a county court judgment (CCJ) in England or Wales, it means that a court has decided you owe money to someone.
A CCJ can have a major impact on your life, making it hard to get credit, buy a house or rent a property.
It is important to understand what a CCJ is and what your options are for dealing with one.
If you've received a county court claim form, don’t panic. If a creditor's started court action, you need to deal with it straight away. We can help you.
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Letter of Claim
Before a creditor can proceed with a county court claim, they must send you a 'letter of claim' in the post, providing details of the debt you owe.
You have 30 days to respond with the reply form provided.
However, it's important to reply to the letter of claim within the timeframe given, as a creditor can begin court action if you don't respond.
Use the reply form to:
Respond to the creditor
Fill in the enclosed financial statement (if you agree you owe the debt) to make an offer of payment if you can't afford to pay the debt in full
Let the creditor know you're seeking debt help
Request more information from the creditor about the debt, if you need it
If you and your creditor can agree a repayment arrangement from your response, court action can be avoided.
How does a CCJ affect me?
Your CCJ will show on your credit file for six years, and will likely affect your ability to take out further credit, as lenders will be able to see that you have a CCJ.
As a result, having a CCJ on your credit file makes it harder to take out further credit. However, the most important thing is that you get debt advice to manage your payments. Once you're back in control, you can take steps to repair your credit file.
Your CCJ will also be added to a database called the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines within a month. This will be removed after six years. The register is operated by a company called Registry Trust, and courts send them details of all new CCJs.
Can I get help and advice with a CCJ?
If you've received a CCJ and you're not sure what to do, we can help. We can offer expert advice on the County Court claims process and how to deal with a CCJ.
We can also recommend solutions to help you manage your debt problems and give you clear, practical advice about how to deal with your debts to live a worry-free life.
If you prefer you can call us and talk to one of our advisors to understand your options.
Why choose National Debt Advice?
We can reduce your monthly payments!* Not only that but we're:
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