CCJ Removals

A County Court Judgement, or CCJ, essentially means that somebody has sued you and won. It is a court judgement registered against you because a third party has taken action against you for not paying them money you owe. It means that you are legally liable for paying the money. If you do not do so, high court bailiffs can be sent to your property to remove goods in place of payment.

One of the most common questions we’re asked on this topic is: “how long is a CCJ valid for?”. Well, from the first day it is entered into your record, the CCJ will last for six years. It will be visible on the public Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines and negatively affect your credit for the entire time, whether you are aware of it or not.

If you pay the entirety of the money owed within 30 days of the CCJ being entered against you, it should not appear on your record. If it does, you can apply to the court to have it cancelled. 

Furthermore, if you can prove to the court that the CCJ was issued by mistake, it can get cancelled and no longer appear on your record.

If you pay the CCJ in full after 30 days have lapsed, it will still appear on your record for six years from the day it was entered. So, it often pays to think carefully about whether you actually are liable for some or all of the CCJ amount, or if you may have a case to have it removed. Contact a solicitor today for more advice on setting aside a CCJ.

Unfortunately, having a CCJ on your record can negatively impact your life in several ways. For example:

• You may be unable to get a mortgage
• You may be declined for any form of credit
• You could be prevented from buying a house
• You may be unable to get some kinds of professional jobs
• Bailiffs may be sent to your property
• Household goods or cars may be seized from your property

Consequently, it is important to get the CCJ removed if you believe that it is not supposed to be on your record.

Sometimes, you will only find out about a CCJ entered against you when you go to apply for some form of credit and get deniedThe most common cause is forgetting to pay a bill to a service provider when moving house. Then, if you also forget to update your address with them, any correspondence regarding the CCJ will be sent to your old address. As a result, you will be unaware of the correspondence and won’t get the chance to pay or dispute the CCJ. 

Occasionally, CCJs can be sent to an old address by mistake, even when you have updated your details. If there is no response from you within 14 days, claims are automatically processed, easily resulting in you having a CCJ on your record that you are unaware of. In these cases, you will have to prove to the court that you do not owe the CCJ in order to get it removed from your record. A CCJ removals solicitor will be able to assist you with this.

At Setfords, our CCJ removal services start from £480 (inc. VAT) per CCJ. Our solicitors are highly qualified in this area and so can use their expertise to assist you in getting the most favourable outcome.

Typical prices for consented applications:

• 1 x CCJ: £599 inc VAT, plus court fee of £108
• 2 x CCJ: £999 inc VAT, plus court fee of £108
• 3 x CCJ: £1440 inc VAT, plus court fee of £108
• 4+ CCJ: POA

For contested applications, we charge approximately between £999 and £1250. The exact fee will depend on the complexity of your case, plus an advocacy fee of approximately £350 and a court fee of £275. We can also draft your defence for approximately £500-1000 inc VAT, depending on the complexity of your case.

If you pay the full amount owed within 30 days, the CCJ will usually not remain on your record. However, it is often worth talking to a solicitor before you do so. You may not owe as much as the CCJ says, or even anything at all, depending on the circumstances. 

The only way — apart from prompt payment — to ensure the CCJ does not go on your record is to prove to the courts that it should not have been issued in the first place. This is where our CCJ removal solicitors can help.

A CCJ will remain on your credit report for six years unless you pay the full amount within 30 days. Reference to the CCJ on your credit report can make it hard to get credit, meaning you may find it difficult to take out things such as a phone contract, mortgage, credit card, or bank loan.

However, if the court agrees that you do not owe the money, the record of the CCJ will be removed from your credit report and have no impact on your ability to get credit. Getting your CCJ removed can often be complex and time-consuming, however, which is you it’s recommended that you work with a specialist CCJ solicitor.

Many people only realise that they have a CCJ against them when they apply for a mortgage, loan, or another form of credit and get denied. So, you may have had a CCJ on your record for months or years without knowing. This can happen if the creditor has issued the claim against you at a previous address and/or did not take sufficient steps to confirm you received notice of the CCJ. 

Alternatively, you may have a CCJ entered against you unfairly or by mistake. In these cases, you might be able to apply to the court to have the CCJ ‘set aside.’ This means you can defend your position to remove it from your record. There is no guarantee that it will be removed unless the creditor did not follow the correct procedure to issue the CCJ, however. But, working with a solicitor will give you the best chance of success. 

You must take action to set aside the CCJ as soon as you become aware of it. In most cases, this means you should start proceedings within 30 days, though, even if you knew about the CCJ, there might still be scope to get it removed. Please contact us for further details. 

Yes, in some cases it is possible for the claimant to remove a CCJ, but the process and requirements for doing so will depend on the specific circumstances. Often, the process is complicated. 

Working with an expert CCJ solicitor can give you the best chance of success when it comes to getting your CCJ removed.