A County Court Judgment (CCJ) is a legal order issued by the county court that formally recognises a debt is owed by an individual or business to a creditor. Obtaining a CCJ provides a legally enforceable judgment, meaning there are legal grounds to compel the debtor to pay.
If the debtor doesn’t pay voluntarily following the CCJ being awarded, further recovery steps including transferring the debt to the High Court can be taken to enforce payment.
What is a county court judgment?
Understanding county court judgments (CCJs) in debt collection
Learn how a County Court Judgment (CCJ) can help you recover outstanding debts and enforce payment effectively. For expert advice, Contact dukes Bailiffs today.
Your guide to recovery options
The cost of applying for a CCJ depends on the value of the debt, ranging from around £35 for small debts up to £10,000, to over £400 for higher amounts. Before applying for a CCJ it is worth assessing the debtor's financial ability to pay you back. If you have reason to believe they have money and assets to be able to pay you back, you can be confident with the decision to apply for a CCJ with a view to transfer the debt up to the high court.
If you know the person who owes you money does not have the funds to pay you back, and potentially never will, but you don’t feel it’s fair to simply ‘let them off’ without any consequences, you can apply for a CCJ with a view to impact their credit file. A CCJ will be recorded on the debtors credit file by the Registry Trust for 6 years, making it harder for the individual or business to obtain loans, credit cards etc in the future.