What is a County Court Judgment (CCJ)?
Ryan Jones • 6 March 2023
What is a County Court Judgment (CCJ)?
A County Court Judgment (CCJ) is a type of court order in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that could be registered against you or a business if you fail to repay an outstanding debt.
How do creditors get a county court judgment (CCJ)?
Your creditor will issue a claim via the courts in an attempt to obtain a a county court judgment (CCJ) (or high court judgment) if someone takes court action against you and you fail to respond or your defence is rejected.
You must respond to the county court by the date stated on the claim pack you receive. If the claimant is granted judgment it will l come in the post and will explain:
- how much you owe
- how to pay (in full or in instalments)
- the deadline for paying
- who to pay
Are judgments registered?
Historically, it was only judgments made in the county court which were a matter of public record as they were registered in the Registry of County Court Judgments. However, since 2006 all county court and high court judgments can be registered in the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines unless they are exempt.
What details are included in a registered judgment?
The courts send details of eligible judgments for registration to Registry Trust Limited, which maintains the Register of Judgments. Details on judgments include:
- the full name of the judgment debtor (the person who owes money)
- the judgment debtor’s address
- the judgment debtor’s date of birth (if known)
- the date of the judgment debt
- the amount of the judgment debt
- the court’s name
- the claim number
How can a creditors enforce a CCJ?
Unless enforced correctly a County Court Judgment (CCJ) is just a piece of paper telling a debtor they are liable for the amount claimed. There are various options that creditor can take if a defendant fails to pay the County Court Judgment (CCJ).
The claimant can apply to the court to take any of the following enforcement actions:
- Summon the defendant to court and ask for evidence concerning why they cannot/will not pay the debt
- Make an order deducting an amount from the defendant’s salary each month until the debt is paid
- If the defendant is a business, the court can demand they present their accounts and explain why the debt has not been paid
- The court can freeze the defendant’s bank account, building society, or business accounts and use monies from these accounts to pay the debt
- A charge can be made over the defendant’s property (this means that if the property is sold, the defendant must pay the amount before taking any money from the sale for themselves)
- Bailiffs can be dispatched to the defendant’s premises to recover the money owed
- A winding-up petition to close or ‘wind up’ the company can be made (if granted, the company’s assets will be sold, and any excess funds will be paid to creditors)
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