Your Credit Score and County Court Decisions
A county court judgment (CCJ), issued against someone who owes money to another person, may be issued.
If you have a CCJ against your name, your credit rating could be affected. This could make it difficult to borrow money or obtain credit from a bank, or store.
The CCJ will be listed on your credit report. This is information that was sent by a credit agency to the company you wish to borrow money. The firm will use the data to decide whether to lend you money.
You should check to see if you have a CCJ against you.
It is easy to find out if a CCJ was issued against you. It is possible to:
Search the Register for Judgments and Orders and Fines to find Judgments and Orders.
Get a copy your credit report.
Search the Register for Judgments and Orders and Fines to find Judgments and Orders.
Online access is available to the Register of Judgments and Orders. There will be a small charge. All CCJs against you will be included in the Register.
Request a copy your credit report
To determine if you have a CCJ against your name, a credit reference agency will provide you with a copy. The report will be charged at an affordable rate.
It is a good idea to regularly check your credit reports to make sure that all information is correct.
Credit reference agencies such as Equifax, Credit Compass, and Experian may provide you with a copy your credit report.
You can remove a judgment, order, or fine from our Judgments Orders and Fines Register.
Your CCJ will be removed from the Register of Judgments and Orders if it is older than six years, even if it has not been paid.
If you can show the court that the amount is not due, or if the record was paid within a month of obtaining the CCJ, you may be able have it removed from the Register.
You don’t have to owe the debt if you don’t have it
You can ask the court for a reopening of the case against your, also known as’setting aside’ your CCJ. If you can prove that there is a legitimate legal reason to not owing the money, you may only do this.
To request the court to vacate the CCJ, fill out N244 You will most likely have to pay a fee to have your case reexamined.
Your CCJ will be removed if the court determines that you don’t owe the money.
It could take up to 4 weeks for the entry to be removed. Once the entry is removed, it should be much easier to obtain credit.If you have not paid the full amount within one month of receiving your CCJ, you can petition the court for your entry to be removed from the Register. To confirm that you have paid the obligation, you will need to get a certificate from court.
The certificate fee must be paid, but it may be waived if you have a low income.
Your entry will be removed from the Register. Credit reporting companies will be alerted and your record with details about your CCJ will be deleted.
If the CCJ is wiped out, you may be able again to get credit.
Modify a record in Register of Judgments Orders and Fines
You may be able amend your Register record if you pay the debt off within a month of the CCJ date.
The court will require you to prove that you have paid your debt in order to obtain a certificate. The fee for the certificate must be paid. However, if you have a low income, it may be waived.
A notation will be added to your Register to indicate that the obligation was cancelled or paid.
Credit reporting agencies will be notified if your Register listing is changed. This indicates that you have paid your debt. Your credit report will still have the CCJ, but it will be removed after six years. However, your record will reflect that you paid the debt.
After your credit record has been updated, you may be able to get credit more easily.
Avoid credit repair companies at all cost
Do not trust credit repair companies that claim they can erase your debt.
They can charge very high fees and force victims to lie to get rid of their debts. This is almost always impossible.
If you have any questions about your CCJ, please contact your nearest Citizens Advice.