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Bad Credit: County Court Judgements Explained


A County Court Judgement (CCJ) is one of the most serious marks that can appear on your UK credit report. For many people, a CCJ is confusing, stressful, and damaging—especially when it affects the ability to get credit, loans, or even housing.

This article explains what a CCJ is, how it affects your credit, and what you can do about it.

What Is a County Court Judgement (CCJ)?

A County Court Judgement is a court order issued in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland when someone fails to repay money they owe and does not respond to legal action.

A CCJ is usually issued when:

  • A debt remains unpaid

  • The creditor takes legal action

  • The debtor ignores or loses the court case

Once issued, the CCJ is recorded on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines and appears on your credit report.

How Does a CCJ Affect Your Credit Score?

A CCJ can significantly damage your credit profile. Lenders see it as a strong indicator of financial risk.

Effects include:

  • Difficulty getting credit cards or loans

  • Higher interest rates if approved

  • Problems renting property

  • Limited access to mortgages

A CCJ stays on your credit file for six years, even if the debt is later paid.

How Do CCJs Happen?

Many people get a CCJ without fully understanding the process.

Common reasons include:

  • Ignoring letters from creditors

  • Moving address and missing court paperwork

  • Disputing a debt but not responding formally

  • Financial hardship leading to unpaid bills

In many cases, CCJs could be avoided by early communication.

Can a CCJ Be Removed from Your Credit Report?

1. Paying Within 30 Days

If you pay the full amount within 30 days of the judgement, the CCJ can be removed completely from your credit file.

This is the best possible outcome.

2. Paying After 30 Days

If paid later, the CCJ will be marked as “satisfied”, but it will still remain on your credit report for six years.

A satisfied CCJ looks better to lenders than an unpaid one—but it still affects your score.

3. Setting Aside a CCJ

In certain situations, you may be able to apply to have a CCJ set aside, such as if:

  • You never received court documents

  • The debt is incorrect

  • You had a valid defence

This requires court approval and is not guaranteed.

Can You Get Credit with a CCJ?

Yes—but options are limited.

With a CCJ, you may still qualify for:

  • Credit builder or secured credit cards

  • Specialist bad credit lenders

  • Higher-deposit financial products

However, interest rates are usually higher, and limits are lower.

How to Rebuild Credit After a CCJ

Even with a CCJ, rebuilding credit is possible.

Key steps include:

  • Paying the CCJ if unpaid

  • Making all payments on time

  • Keeping credit balances low

  • Using credit builder cards responsibly

  • Avoiding further missed payments

Over time, the impact of a CCJ reduces—especially with good financial behaviour.

How to Avoid Getting a CCJ

Prevention is always better than repair.

To avoid a CCJ:

  • Never ignore creditor letters

  • Respond to court notices immediately

  • Negotiate payment plans early

  • Seek debt advice if struggling

Early action can stop court proceedings entirely.

Final Thoughts

A County Court Judgement is serious—but it doesn’t define your financial future forever. Understanding how CCJs work puts you in a stronger position to manage, resolve, and recover from them.

With responsible steps, time, and consistency, it’s possible to rebuild your credit—even after a CCJ.


Summary:

County Court Judgements or CCJs will have a serious impact on your credit rating, making it more difficult to obtain finance. What are CCJs, and can you do anything about them?



Keywords:

bad credit,credit rating,county court judgements,ccjs



Article Body:

Having a County Court Judgement or CCJ issued against you will have a severe impact on your credit rating, as it signifies that you have had serious problems paying back a loan or other form of credit, to the extent where your creditor has had to take court action against you to try and recover the debt.


If you get into arrears and fail to come to a repayment agreement, your creditor may decide that pursuing a CCJ is the only option. The first you'll hear about it is when you receive a 'Claim Form' through the post, sent to you by the county court. This form will set out the details of the claim, including who the creditor is and how much they say you owe them.


If you were unaware of the debt, for instance if you'd moved house and lost contact with the creditor, then repaying the full debt now will stop proceedings going any further. If however you can't clear the debt, then you should fill out an 'Admissions Form' which will also have been sent to you.


This form asks for information about your income and expenses, which the court will take into account when hearing your case. The Admissions Form should be returned within 16 days of the postmark it holds, although if you intend to dispute or defend the claim then you can apply to have the hearing delayed an extra 14 days in order to prepare your defence.


Once you've filled in these forms and returned them to the court, there will be a simple hearing carried out in private. You don't have to attend the hearing so long as you've completely filled in the necessary forms, or unless you wish to dispute aspects of the claim.


At the hearing, the court will objectively review the claim and the information you've provided, and come to a decision about the amount of money (if any) you owe, and how it should be repaid. It's important to note that no one is being found 'guilty' or 'innocent' here, the court is simply trying to fairly resolve a civil financial dispute.


If the decision upholds the claim against you, then the court order or CCJ is issued. Even at this stage you can stop the damage to your credit record, as you'll have one month from the date of the court hearing to repay the debt in full to stop the CCJ being put on record.


After a month, the CCJ will be entered on to the Register of County Court Judgements, and from there it will make its way onto your credit files held by the various credit reference agencies.


The presence of one or more CCJs on your credit file will effectively close off most kinds of finance to you, as most lenders will be very reluctant to advance credit to people in these circumstances. Once, however, you've cleared the debt, then the judgement will be marked as 'satisfied', and while this will not remove it from your record it is a lot less harmful to your credit worthiness than an uncleared CCJ.


If you have a CCJ on your record, you might be tempted by companies promising to remove it and clean up your rating. Unfortunately, this is only feasible in a few cases. Sometimes, the CCJ is entered on to your record by mistake even though you cleared the debt within the one month time limit. If this has happened then you have the right to have it removed from your records.


The only other ways to have a CCJ removed is to show that there was something wrong with the way in which the judgement was awarded. If, for example, you didn't receive the initial Claim Form, and you were unaware of the proceedings, then you didn't have the chance to defend yourself and so the judgement is invalid.


In these circumstances, you can apply to the court to 'set aside' the judgement and it will be removed from your file, with the whole process starting again with a new claim and hearing. Any attempt to gain a 'set aside' without a reasonable argument could be seen as wasting the court's time, with all the legal penalties that would entail.


If you receive a Claim Form through the post, it's important not to panic. Although a CCJ against your name is harmful to your credit rating, it isn't a criminal matter and won't lead to further action such as repossession of your home or bankruptcy. The CCJ procedure is there so that the court can help to resolve your debt in a way that is fair to both you and your creditor.