If you don’t know if you have a County Court Judgment you can check Registry Trust’s database of CCJs. This is the official central register of CCJs and you can search it using the Trust Online system. Your creditors aren’t informed when you check this way.
You may want to find out about CCJs for two reasons:
- if you have been ignoring your debts for a while and you have moved or thrown away a lot of letters, you may be worried that you have County Court Judgments (CCJs).
- you may have been refused credit or even a mortgage and been told the reason is that you have a CCJ.
Find CCJs from your credit record
The simplest way to find out if you have a CCJ is to get a copy of your credit report from any of the three credit reference agencies. That gives an overview of most of your debts, showing defaults, balances and creditor details as well as any CCJs – and it’s free!
But many people worry that accessing your credit record will alert your creditors. You may want to avoid this if you are very concerned about CCJs and bailiffs.
The good news is that creditors can’t see if you have just looked at your credit record.
The less good news is that signing up to see your credit record may involve giving older addresses so the credit reference agency can identify who you are. Doing this may be adding links to your credit record and those links to old addresses may help a creditor find you.
It’s not clear that you should be worried about this. Creditors have a nasty habit of finding you anyway! It may not feel like it, but it’s usually better to sort out your old debts than for a creditor to get a CCJ against you at an old address. But if you are worried, then there is an alternative: Trust Online.
Check for CCJs on Trust Online
An alternative to looking at your credit records is to use the Trust Online system. You can use this to see if anyone has CCJs – if you have a business and a client is asking for credit, you could use it to see if your client has any CCJs. So you can look at your own records.
One of the disadvantages of Trust Online is that it looks for matches by both name and address. The address is from the court record which shows the address that the creditor provided at the time of the CCJ.
If you have moved several times, you may need to look at several searches as addresses are not linked in the Registry Trust database. Each Trust Online search costs £4 and there are no free ways to do this.
What will you see?
If there is a CCJ for the name/address you searched for you can see the public details: the name of the court, the case number, the date the judgment was made, how much it is for and whether it has been paid (“satisfied”).
A sample report looks like this:
An example of a Trust Online report
An * by a name or address shows a record where this is a small variation in the spelling – you need to decide if this record is likely to be yours.
As you can see, the search doesn’t show the name of the claimant. The relevant court can tell you this (if you are the defendant) from the case number and date. You can find contact details for the court from this government website.
CCJs remain on the record for six years
CCJs will remain on your credit file and on the Trust Online database for six years after the judgment date. After that, they drop off however they still exist. They never become “statute-barred”, but after six years a claimant has to apply to the court for permission to enforce a CC. It is possible they will get permission, but it is unlikely as it has been so long since the judgment before they have attempted to enforce it.
If a creditor contacts you about a CCJ that is over 6 years old or goes to court to enforce a CCJ which is over six years old, contact National Debtline for advice about your situation.
What if you don’t know what a CCJ is for?
Sometimes finding you have a CCJ comes as a complete surprise – you may have been turned down for a mortgage and other credit and been astonished to find it is because there is a CCJ on your credit record.
Finding out the details from Trust Online as described above will give you a case number and which court. You can then contact the court and get the details of the judgment – this will give more information about the original debt and the current creditor.
Then you need to contact the creditor and say you know nothing about this debt. I am afraid you are probably going to have to apply to the court for the CCJ to be “set aside” which will cost you £255, but this may be waived if you are on benefits or a very low income. I suggest calling National Debtline if you need help with applying for a set aside.
If you do know what the CCJ is for
You need to get a plan to deal with not just this CCJ but your other debts as well.
Unless you only have a couple of debts, it is usually a mistake to try to deal with them individually without trying to get the full picture first. If you decide the only CCJ you currently have is a priority and you make an offer to vary the CCJ, offering a monthly payment you can afford (see this article for details about how to do this using form N245), what will you do if another creditor goes to court for a CCJ?
CCJs may sound like the most urgent debts, but you need a complete list of your debts (even if it means getting your credit records and possibly alerting your creditors) and an Income / Expenditure sheet to be able to decide what to do. So get that “Financial Selfie” and then look at the roadmap of potential debt options and decide which one will work for you:
how to take a Financial Selfie
A roadmap of possible debt solutions
Other articles about CCJs
David P says
Hello there
I received a letter from a company which offers services to trace people generally but they specialise in debt. They do not state why they want to trace me. I did however have some money problems well over 15 years ago, some of which could be potentially outstanding. I have had no contact with any company, nor paid any money, for this entire period and have moved house twice. I have no CCJs on my credit report for this address. Does this sound like a statute barred situation? Any advice appreciated.
Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have you checked all your previous addresses for CCJs?
David P says
Hi. I checked on Trust Online and there are no CCJs registered at my old address where the issues took place or at my new one. (The address I had in between was simply me sofa-surfing for a few weeks at a friend’s house, it was never registered officially with anyone)
I understand, however, that it is possible that a CCJ from that long ago (presumably filed before 2006?) would stop being listed after six years (2012). If one does exist, what might happen next?
Thanks for your assistance
Sara (Debt Camel) says
A CCJ over 6 years old will no longer be listed. It isn’t statute barred, but the creditor would need to go back to court to be able to enforce it, phone National Debtline 0808 808 4000 for more details.
Nadine says
Hi
I had a loan & a credit card which I stopped paying in 2008 ex boyfriend used! I moved and changed my name by deed poll. I am now in the process of applying for a mortgage. There is nothing on my Experian report but I am unable to access my equifax report, I tried with my new details and it said to contact them. Which I haven’t but I’m very worried because they will have my new contact details. Also will this affect my credit check for a mortgage??
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You can check for any CCJs at previous addresses using the Trust Online system mentioned in the above article. But the only way to be sure what a mortgage lender would see if they used equifax is to give them your new contact details.
Jay B says
Hi.
I have recently received a letter from a debt recovery company for a debt that I don’t recognise & also claiming there is CCJ against it. It’s addressed to a person with a similar name (first & last names) as myself, only the name on the letter has a double barrelled surname. I registered with a credit score company a while back but am not in the habit of checking it, but lo & behold, when I’ve checked it recently, there’s this CCJ showing on there against a previous address I used to live at. The CCJ was issued back in 2014 when I wasn’t living at that address so if any post went there I wouldn’t know about it.. I think someone I had lodging with me at the time may have used my details to obtain a mobile phone contract but I can’t be sure as I’ve lost all contact with them. Any advice on how I can get this cleared?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you talk to National Debtline 0808 808 4000 about how to get this CCJ “set aside”. Once this is done, the creditor may then restart the CCJ process but at that point you will get the papers and can defend the case. National Debtline can talk about this defence too.
Rob says
Hi, due to difficult personal circumstances I had to return to Australia back in 2008 and maxed out a credit card (£1500 limit) I’d only just been offered by my UK bank in order to be able to leave. I have not made a single repayment and I left the UK in 2008. I’ve not heard anything about it since, nor do I have any county court judgements going by searches I’ve done (not yet done an actual credit report check, am worried about giving my details). Now in 2017 I’m involved with my English partner and we are considering returning to the UK. I am a dual citizen with an EU passport, with which I was living & working in the UK back then – obviously after Brexit I’d be coming back as the Australian spouse of my English partner. Given I’ve heard nothing in all this time & there’s no CCJ that I can find, I wonder what I might expect when I return. Could you please advise? Thank you!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If there was no CCJ, the debt should be statute barred by now, see https://debtcamel.co.uk/statute-barred-debt/.
If there was a CCJ in the last 6 years you should be able to see it on your credit record and it would still be enforceable.
If there was a CCJ more than 6 years ago, then you won’t find it on Registry Trust or your credit records. But the creditor would have to go back to court to try to enforce it after 6 years and that is very rare.
I suggest you and your partner don’t have ANYTHING to do with the UK bank the credit card came from, either when you return or ever in the future.
Rob says
Thank you very much, I appreciate your response.
Rob says
Actually Sara, it was an overdraft, not a credit card. My mistake, so long ago! Can I ask, does that change matters??
Thank you,
Rob
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It can take a lot longer for an overdraft to become statute barred – because there is no set payment each month, a bank can’t tell when you have defaulted. You could talk to National Debtline about this if you find out this is still on your credit record when you return to the UK.
James says
Hi there – I went through some relationship and debt problems and stopped paying my credit cards and loans in 2010 and ended up leaving the UK to work in South America for several years. I have come back now and am trying to get a job as a financial advisor.
My credit report is clear as I think any bad debt/CCJ’s have fallen off the report – do you think they can find out about my problems in the past as I’m really worried?
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You may be OK if your current credit records show your old address. The problem is if there is a CCJ for one of these for your old address which hasn’t got linked through to your new one… have you checked on Trust Online to see if you had any CCJs at your old address?
James says
Thanks very much for the prompt response , it’s really appreciated – debt has caused me so much pain and anxiety . I just checked with trust online now and there’s nothing there. I’ve checked all 3 credit agencies and everything is clear.
I didn’t mention I had a house repossessed too, could that be a problem?
Many thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ah. yes a house repossession could be problem – I assume there was a mortgage shortfall. Unsecured consumer debts are statute barred after 6 years, so if a creditor tried to take you to court for one of your old loans or credit cards you can defend the case on that basis (see https://debtcamel.co.uk/statute-barred-debt/). But the time limit for mortgage shortfalls is 12 years, see https://www.nationaldebtline.org/EW/factsheets/Pages/mortgage-shortfalls/mortgage-debt.aspx, so you could still be contacted about that.
Livya says
Hi Sara, I access my free credit report monthly via Noodle. As I am already registered with Noodle, it never asks my current address etc.
You said accessing credit report may alert creditors. Do creditors get alert only when you register for Noodle for the first time?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Creditors don’t get alerted when you check your credit record, even if it is the first time. But when you provide an address, that gets added to your credit records and that can sometimes help a creditor find you if they are trying to trace you.
If your Noddle report doesn’t have your current address and your previous addresses, it may not be complete.
Suz says
I have a 4 year old CCJ, rang the court and they told me it was for Shop direct and that Lowell now own it. I have now paid the debt and asked Lowell about the CCJ but they state that the debt wasn’t a CCJ. Do I just send the evidence that I have paid the debt to county court in the hope that it is the right debt I have paid off. I only ever had 2 shop direct accounts and Lowell owned them both and I have paid them both off
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Hi Suz, this article https://debtcamel.co.uk/paid-ccj-satisfied/ looks at what you need to do: https://debtcamel.co.uk/paid-ccj-satisfied/
Suz says
Thank you very much for your speedy response
Louise says
I had debt which I had consolidated into a debt management plan. I had been paying this up until 2011 when I left the UK. Once I left, I stopped paying. I don’t know if any letters were still sent and I have not had contacted with them during this time. I have checked and I don’t have any CCJs. I haven’t yet checked my credit report. I am now considering returning to the UK and want to know how this may effect me, in particular if I look to rent a house. Will they do a credit check and could this effect me being able to rent?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
There is normally a credit check before renting. I can’t guess what will be showing on yours.
Louise says
Thank you. I’ve just checked my credit score on Experian and it’s showing as excellent
PreviouslyDumbGeorge says
Hello, I have quite an odd question.
In October 2014 I made Barclaycard for 800£ when I was student, and I used 700 off it to pay for Uni books and only paid back about 200 before falling behind with payments due to loss of employment. Barclaycard closed my account right after I changed address, before I actually got to update it with them.
I never heard from them since, I was never registered with Experian, and have changed 2 addreses since due to jobs, and other familly issues. I forgot everything about that year as my worst period of life. But now I decided to check my Uni e-mail address after almost 3 years and dug up a bait e-mail I received from a DCA in december 2017, apparently for that debt.
Just today, I’ve updated my Barclays current account (not Barclaycard) address to my current address. Will the DCA be able to track my address as of now? I’m just doing a finance clear-up so I can start working on my credit score ( that is my only ever credit card/loan debt). But, I would like to start paying them after September when I am due a 200£/month payrise to my monthly wage, after probation period.
I don’t want to hide, I just want to time things properly so I don’t end up making other debts. Also, would I be able to negociate a monthly payment with them rather than a full sum? Something that’s at most 50£/month?
Thank you so much for your advice.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Updating your bank account address is likely to result in the bank updating your address with credit reference agencies such as Experian.
Why not get in touch with the DCA and offer them £50 a month if that is what you can afford at the moment?
PreviouslyDumbGeorge says
I’m not sure I have any CCJs just yet, in all honesty I was too afraid to check. Which is the best way to check that outside of Experian? Don’t want to give out any unnecessary information just yet. Not until I know what I’m dealing with. I mean, it’s been some years since I lost track of that debt, and yes, I do despise my self for it. Depression and anxiety can run you through some pretty stupid choices, and your brain tend to muffle out things that terrify you if you haven’t been in contact with them. However now I just want to take everything up in a calculated and responsible manner. I’ve started a career for myself, I’m going towards better, and want to slowly clear all of my stupid choices while I was in University.
Thank you,
George
Jim says
Hello,
I was required to make a CCJ payment last year, which I made in full and within the one-month period. I disclosed this to a would-be employer and the problem is that they have been unable to find a record of either my judgment or payment. I have tried several searches on trustonline.org.uk and am also not able to find any record of my judgement or payment.
Immediately after I made the payment (using the automated telephone service) I sent an email to the relevant HMCTS office asking them to confirm receipt of my payment, which they provided in their reply to my email. I can also see on my bank statement that the payment was made.
I think what has happened is that I supplied the incorrect address to the court, as I was staying at a friend’s house at the time and I think I misstated their address.
Do you have any advice as to how I might be able to obtain a formal record of my judgement/payment, given that I cannot precisely recall what address was provided? I do have a record of the Case Number.
Many thanks in advance for any thoughts that you may have
Kindly,
Jim
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If you have the case number then I would have thought that is enough for the court to send you a copy of the judgment which would have the address on.
Jonathan McBride says
Hi,
I defaulted on an overdraft on February 2013. I paid the debt off in full on January 2017.
Will the default drop off in March 2019?
Credit score is good on equifax, very poor on noodle, fair on expiran. Got a credit card paying in full each month with a good utilisation%.
Hoping to see an improvement in march.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
“I defaulted on an overdraft on February 2013” if that is the date of the default date on your credit record, the debt will drop off bt March 2019.
Jonthan says
debt or default will drop off?
thanks
Jon
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The debt drops off, taking the default with it.
Julian says
Hi Sara,
I have been paying off a debt for almost 2 years to Mortimer Clarke Solicitors who are acting on behalf of a debt company. We have a Tomlinson order in place and I only hbe 2 payments left to make.
Mortimer Clarke have now contacted me about a different debt for exactly the same amount as the last one and saying there is a outstanding CCj for this debt. However, it’s not on either my credit file or the Trust Registry as I have checked. The debt was for a Credit Card with CitiFinancial and my last payment was made in October 2004. I want to be able to check if there is a CCJ about this debt that is over 6 years old. Is that possible and if not if they take me back to court to enforce the CCj can I dispute this and if so on what grounds.
Many thanks Sara.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you say that you have no knowledge of a CCJ and ask them for the date of the judgment.
Julian says
Ok thank you.
Julian
Vivienne Clifton says
Hello, my husband has been refused finance to buy a car. They found a CCJ apparently. About a year ago a water company gave us a wrong bill and we got to the bottom of the problem and the apologised and assured us that they CCJ they had issued us was to be removed. My husband had spoken to the legal dept and we felt happy as they were very helpful and reassuring. So for this finance company to find a CCJ has been very shocking and has cost us a lot of money as we travelled from Cornwall to Liverpool to pick up a car, to be told last minute that finance hadn’t come through. Would you be able to advise me please as I am sure I am due some sort of compensation from the water company. We have found out that another company will lend us money, not as good a deal, but we can at least go back to pick our car up. But the trouble this has caused……..Thank you. Vivienne Clifton
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I am sorry but you should really have followed this up at the time if the Water Company agreed to “remove” the CCJ. Did you have anything in writing from them?
Vivienne Clifton says
Hi, thanks for the reply. My husband did at the time and they removed it, he is pretty sure that he had emails regarding the matter from them so will check on that. Unfortunately though most of the communications were on the phone. If he has nothing in writing does this mean we have no chance of claiming anything from them?
Vivienne
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If he has dates of the phone calls that will help. But even without these he should go back and put in a formal WRITTEN complaint to the water company saying that they agreed the default was an errors and agreed to remove it and the CCJ.
But in future, always get things in writing – and always check to see someone has done what they said they would!
Vivienne Clifton says
He is checking when hes back at work as he thinks he may have emails. He doesn’t have dates of calls. I have written a letter of complaint to the company to send but wanted to hear your opinion. Thanks very much.
Vivienne
Anon says
I’m wondering whether you can help. I took out a mobile phone contract with O2 approximately 2006
Because they failed to set up my contract properly and my billing details, I cancelled the contract. I was notified approximately 5 years ago that there was a CCJ issued. I made the payment direct to the court via telephone and assumed this had gone away. I have since received another letter from Lowell who is assume has taken over the debt threatening me with CCJ action again. I have checked on trust pilot and paid £6 for this report. This has came back with a response stating nothing is held under my details. I have not moved home and I have not changed any of my details. This letter came addressed to Mr and I am actually Miss. I’m concerned at this letter states they can contact my employer for detachment of earnings. I work in the public sector so this will have an extremely detrimental affect on my job. Any advice please. Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
do you have any paperwork about the previous CCJ? can you look at your bank statements and find the payment to it?
I suggest you talk to National Debtline https://www.nationaldebtline.org/ about how you should reply to Lowell.
Shirley Page says
hi was wondering if you could help in 2008 i lost my home. At the time i had quite a lot of other debt credit cards i was homeless for a number of years and have been in my rented property for 3 years out of the blue yesterday i received a letter from mortimer clarke solicitors stating i had an outstanding debt to black horse for a credit card of £2473.70. The letter says they have been told a county court judgement was obtained at the time in relation to the debt. I have no knowledge of the ccj and to be honest can not remember a lot from 11 years ago. I have tried to look for ccj but cant find it. Would be grateful for any advice .
Sara (Debt Camel) says
A CCJ that is more than 6 years old can’t be enforced without permission from the court – which is VERY rare. I suggest you talk to national Debtline on 0808 808 4000 about what you can do about this.
Elvin says
Hello,
6 years ago I left UK without closing my current bank account. My account was nil. Only 2 activities; a childcare support income (£80pcm) and a utility bill payment order which I cancelled a month later through online banking. I recently decided to go back to living in the UK. I called the bank when I remembered my unclosed bank accounts, they told me the account has gone to a DCA.
Two questions;
– Will I be stopped at the border while entering or leaving? Asked to pay full sum at once?
– If I check the amount through Trustonline, will I alert DCA? note that I am not living in the UK. So I wont be able to give current UK address.
Thank you for your time
Eli
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No you won’t be stopped at the border – debt is a civil issue not a criminal one.
It’s not clear to me why you owe any money at all.
Elvin says
Hello Sara, thank you for the quick response. I can think of 3 possibilities
– Child support might have thought they overpaid me and reclaimed money from my account, making me go overdraft
– Utility bill might have had one final payment. Making me go overdraft
– Bank annual charges or agreed overdraft fees applied (some £5 each month as far as I remember)
Either way the original debt shouldnt be more than £200 but over the years, especially if its an overdraft, I am worried that it might be well over 40k
Thanks again
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I don’t think that is likely! Why don’t you ask the bank for a statement of the account, showing what was passed to a debt collector.
Elvin says
Unfortunately the bank refused to give me any information and told me contact the DCA. But I am afraid to alert them. So I am trying other ways to find out the amount
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Send the bank a Subject Access request asking for a copy of your personal information, see https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/your-right-of-access/
Charmaine says
Hi Sara
Unfortunately I defaulted on 4 payday loans back in 2014.
The debt was sold to a debt management company and they entered 4 CCJ’s against me in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Can they do this?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes they can.
But if you had borrowed a lot from the lenders before, you may be able to make an affordability complaint (see https://debtcamel.co.uk/payday-loan-refunds/) to the original lender, not the debt collector, and if you win that complaint the original lender may have to arrange for the CCJ to be removed.
Charmaine says
Hi Sara
Thanks for the swift response.
Your links are invaluable, and I will be emailing the lenders and completing the templates as I did take out multiple payday loans.
Michelle says
How hard is it for a Portuguese bank to obtain a CCJ in the UK? Would they go through the hassle if the debt is 3k euros?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I assume this is a debt you incurred in Portugal.
I don’t know what they would be likely to do and I have no idea whether Brexit is likely to change this. Sorry, not much help!
Kevin says
I had some loan and outstanding balanced in my credit card 11 years ago. Due to very complicated circumstances I had to leave the country and wasn’t able to pay off my loan and debt.
As I was outside of country I don’t know what happened and didn’t have any contact with banks and creditors.
Recently friend of mine checked my credit score and look for CCJ but the report came back clear.
I assume because it is a lot more than six years clearly it doesn’t show in my report.
Although I don’t know if I was ever issued any CCJ or not.
Is there any way to find out that I have been CCJ older than six years?
And if I came back to UK is there any way that creditor can chase me since my credit report is clear and showing nothing
I would be very grateful for any advice
Thank you very much for your help
Sara (Debt Camel) says
There isn’t a way of finding out about CCJs over 6 years old. If there are any, the creditor could only enforce them with permission from the court, which is not often granted. If there isn’t a CCJ for a debt it should be statute barred by now.
I know this is easy for me to say, but there isn’t much you can do except tackle them if and when they emerge. It is possible there may not be any at all.
Kevin says
Thank you Sara the swift response
I wonder what I can do to minimize the risk of running up to old creditor.
It is the common sense not to open a bank account in the same banks, I think
because some of my debt was by credit card if I get a new credit card from other bank will Credit Card Company find out or alert the old creditors?
What I gathered from your response because it is eleven years past there shouldn’t be much problem to build a new credit, off course I will never make any overdraft.
Thank you
Kevin says
Thank you Sara the swift response
I wonder what I can do to minimize the risk of running up to old creditor.
It is the common sense not to open a bank account in the same banks, I think
because some of my debt was by credit card if I get a new credit card from other bank will Credit Card Company find out or alert the old creditors?
What I gathered from your response because it is eleven years past there shouldn’t be much problem to build a new credit, off course I will never make any overdraft.
Thank you
Cal says
Hi there,
I am looking to rent a place with my partner. I have one CCJ which I was aware of for about £4.5K. However when our referencing was done, it was revealed to me that I actually have three outstanding CCJs against my name to the sum of roughly £6.5K (this includes the aforementioned one). The other two I am completely unaware of (and must be linked to one of my previous addresses as I’ve received nothing in nearly 3 years at my current address). As I was already aware of the first, I have since contacted the solicitor issuing it (pending response) with my financial information and calculated a repayment plan which suits my income. However, now I know there are another two, I am wondering what the best course of action will be going forward to repay the others. I have consulted the other articles detailing “snowballing” but am unsure of what will best suit me. Could you please advise? Greatly appreciated!
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you talk to National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 about these CCJs you were unaware of and your options for these and your other debts.
John says
I recently got an enforcement notice , actually two separate ones at the same time
They claim I owe hundreds to a council in the neighbouring district , there are no details as to what the money is owed for or as to when the money was supposedly owed , there is no address for me to look up via ccjs
I have never lived on this county therefore am puzzled as to what it could be , my name is correct on the letter as is my current address
I know it is not my debt so what would be my next move?
I have emailed the council asking them to contact me first thing on Monday , I severely doubt that will happen
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Could they be parking tickets?
Dan says
Hi dear
I have 2 CCJ’s in my name, if I bankrupt my self, will my CCJ’s clears from my name?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The CCJs remain on your credit record for 6 years, but the money owed is included in your bankruptcy and wiped out so you don’t have to pay it (unless the creditor has obtained a charging order over your house, which is unaffected by bankruptcy).
The bankruptcy will remain on your credit record for 6 years, as would other Insolvency options such as an IVA.
I strongly suggest you take some debt advice about what your options are and the pros and cons of each. Phone National Debtline on 0808 808 4000.
Mark Emerson says
used the trustonline service and the report was produced immediately. is that usual? no records found for the addresses relevant to check my records, which I assume is good?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Yes you get instant reports, they are just looking up your name & address in their database. If nothing has been found, you can assume you have not had a CCJ in the last 6 years at the addresses you searched (except VERY recent one may not be there yest.)
Peter says
I moved from the UK in 2001, I am not sure if I have any bad credit scores, or CCJ’s etc how can I check ? If I do have anything it would be for Rent from Manchester City Council from my flat. I also had a car loan that I stopped paying for when I moved ?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
After so long it’s very unlikely anything will show. All your debts should be statute barred unless the creditopr got a CCJ, but CCJs disappear from view after 6 years and, although they aren’t statute barred, the creditor would have to go back to court to get permission to enforce.
Are you returning to the UK? If you are, don’t open a bank account with anyone you may have owed money to as they may be able to see things on their internal records.
Dinusha says
Hi
I had an overdraft back in July 2013. I left country in 2013
And returned in June 2017. I have never paid anything or acknowledged about it since I left in 2013. Now the debt has been sold to
Another company called Cabot Finacial. Mortimer clarke another company hired by the company brought the debt is sending me letters to establish communication since mid last year. Now they are sending letters saying they have obtained a ccj and to contact them. This started since Oct last year. I never received forms from court for chk. Now they have sent a letter stating that they hired another company called Marston holding to visit me to establish communication. And Marston have sent a letter to contact Mortimer Clarke’s in 7 days. I checked my credit file with credit karma. I have no ccj listed and the debt is not showing on the credit file as well. Is this statute barred? Should I make contact with them? Is there no real CCJ obtained? What should I do?
Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you check on Trust Online https://search.trustonline.org.uk/Search/Person to see if you have a CCJ as the article above suggests.
Dinusha says
Hi, I did check on trautonline for my current address and previous address and the address I lived before I left the country, but nothing is found. What should I do now?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you write to them and say you have no knowledge of any CCJ about this alleged debt, nothing is showing on trust Online and can they send you details.
Use the word “alleged” whenever you refer to the debt.
Dinusha says
They have given a emil address to contact them. What if they ask me to confirm my name and other details to provide the information? Should I do that?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well yes – they aren’t going to give info to anyone who contacts them asking about a CCJ someone has unless they know it is the right person.
Rashed Ali says
I was on a student visa from 2007 – 2010 in London, U.K. I left U.K in 2010 without paying my bank loan, credit card payments and a couple of mobile contracts. I am living outside of U.K and never returned back and no plans of returning in future as well.
I do not know if i was sent any CCJ at the address i used to live as i have no contact with anyone who lives at that address. Can i find out about my debt / any CCJ info at trust online, what option should i chose – England and Wales single or multiple for the check?
Also, will it show any CCJ as it’s almost a decade now, and i want to find out if there is anything showing up against my name as a debt or any chance that everything is written off?
Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Can I ask why you care?
Rashed Ali says
I have this guilt conscience, I strongly believe I did wrong but at that time I had no other option, long story though. For now, I want to find out how much do I owe, who do I owe as there might be so many transfer of debtors who might have sold my debt to various debt collecting agencies.
If I run a CCJ check, what option should I chose, single or multiple, will this alert my debt collectors?
I want to pay back but I can only do it in installments and I don’t earn in pounds so that wise my income is quite low to manage off my debts, is it possible that the creditors will agree not to follow me back here in my Asian country, through any 3rd party agency, if I start paying them little by little?
So much of confusion and I don’t know where do i start, all i want is a clean slate against my name and the only way i see is if they agree to a fixed amount to be paid back to them in monthly installments. Please suggest / throw as much light and guidance you can.
Thank you so much.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
As you can’t afford to pay much back at the moment, I suggest you don’t try to open this can of worms. In the UK for the next 6 months lenders, debt collectors and debt advisers have much bigger problems than talking to you about these old debts which are not causing you a problem. Why don’t you work out how much you can afford to pay each month and start saving that up? Then if you do want to get in touch and pay them later, you have the money sitting there.
Debbie says
Hi,
Moorcroft debt recovery have contacted me regarding a mortgage shortfall from 2000. The mortgage was taken out with the TSB in joint names but I don’t know if my ex ever paid anything and I very much doubt he did as we split up before the house repossession and he said he would see me and my child with nothing before he ever paid towards the mortgage. The amount is £10,000 and they want me to contact them to arrange a payment plan.
Moorcroft have not confirmed if there is a CCJ ( I am not aware of a CCJ, I still have the same bank account with Lloyds as it is now known). I have not acknowledged or ever paid towards this debt (In the early days I referred the bank/solicitors back to my ex for payment as I was a single mother and he was earning good money).
Please advise hos I should proceed.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
do you know when the house was repossessed?
Debbie says
Yes. January 2000. I agreed with court that I couldn’t afford it on my own. It was sold at auction 6 months later
Sara (Debt Camel) says
In that case it may be that the debt is statute barred. See https://www.nationaldebtline.org/EW/factsheets/Pages/time-limits-for-recovering-debts/statute-barred-debt.aspx
BUT
as that link says “Mortgage shortfalls can be complicated, if you have one of these, contact us for advice. ”
and your ex may have made payments
and there may have been a CCJ.
I suggest you phone National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 and ask for their help on how to reply.
L. Vick says
Hello,
My Husband has recently been contacted by a debt collection agency about an £11,000 personal bank loan that was allegedly taken out 20 years ago. He has never had a bank account with that bank, nor taken a loan with them. He was contacted about 19 years ago about this loan and went in to the bank to dispute it at that time where the bank manager was not prepared to listen to him at all. However he heard nothing more and had assumed it had been resolved. He is a veteran so there isn’t an address for us to check from back then to see if there was a CCJ as he was in active service and posted at various locations both in the UK and abroad. Please could you advise what our options are? Very concerned that if we are required to pay this alleged debt which is not ours, that with interest this could financially devastate us. Thank you.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
There are three different possibilities here, so he will need to find out which applies:
a) there is no CCJ – in this case the debt will be statute barred. If the debt was only 7 or 8 years old there can be arguments about this, but not for 20 years.
b) there is a CCJ but it is more than 6 years old – in this case the debt collector would have to go back to court to get permission to enforce the CCJ. This is very rarely given.
c) a CCJ has been taken in the last 6 years – in this case your husband can apply to have it set aside as he did not receive the court papers.
I suggest he talks to the debt collector and takes the simple line – this is not his debt – he informed the bank about this 20 years ago – he has not heard anything since – the debt is now statute barred.
See what the debt collector says.
If the debt collector says there is a CCJ, ask for the date of the CCJ and the court details.
I can go into more details about any of the three options but I don’t want to have to write all that out when only one will matter to you…
Andy says
Hello,
I had two defaults and the debts were passed on to a Debt collection agency. I have been making regular but small payments monthly. Will I get a CCJ for this even while maintaining regular payments? My debt value is GBP 1000 and I pay GBP 10 every month.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Is the debt collector threatening court action? Are these your only debts?
Haseeb says
Hi, this is haseeb
My question is that one in 2012 i was travelling on the student oyester of my class mate as i lost mine that day and i had to reach school for sitting in exam and on my way back i was stoped by the train inspector and took.my details and later i received a letter from court seeking answer to the matter or admit wat happend that day to be charged with fine but after sending the letter back to county court admitting the mistake i did i never received any such fine untill in feb 2013i came back to my country permanently but now i want to come back to uk and i want to find out wats the situation of that ccj….plx advice…
Sara (Debt Camel) says
This is more likely to be a magistrate’s court fine than a CCJ. See https://www.nationaldebtline.org/EW/factsheets/Pages/magistratescourtfines/magistratescourtdebt.aspx and you can talk to National Debtline from abroad or email them https://tools.nationaldebtline.org/email-for-advice/
TonyM says
in June 2014 two friends (husband and wife) left the UK for a new life in the wife’s native country (she had lived in the UK for many years and has dual nationality). They each left behind a car which was either on lease or credit, I don’t know which. The husband had been unemployed for a few months so they may have had other debts (rent, credit cards).
Sadly the husband died in 2019. The wife is returning to the UK to live and will be staying with me for a while, whilst she sorts out a job and somewhere to rent. She will need an address for an employer and to register with a GP and to sort out a bank account. That presumably will have to be my address.
I am financially secure and have never had any debt or loan problems. If she uses my address, could this effect my credit rating?
Also, what would be the position if our relationship changed and we became a couple? I stress we are only friends and that is the understanding between us, but we are both unattached and have become quite close so I would like to understand the ‘what if scenario.
Many thanks for your guidance.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
If she uses my address, could this effect my credit rating?
No.
And it won’t matter if you become partners or even get married.
her debts can only affect your credit score if you have a joint account together – a bank account, loan or mortgage.
TonyM says
Thank you
I was under the impression that if a judgement was made against her at my address then my address (and by extension me) could become tainted for credit purposes
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No, this hasn’t happened for many years, but the urban myth persists.
TonyM says
Thank you for your advice, it is very much appreciated
Marc says
I ended up with a CCJ because of a road traffic accident not my fault and clearly caused by the other driver. My insurance company wanted to just pay out without question. Then of course that goes against me I would get penalized with higher premiums and falsely negative claims history. I told them they shouldn’t pay out – because it was the other driver had caused the accident. They didn’t pay out and the next thing I knew I had a county court judgement, against me personally.
The other driver passed through a red trafficlight stop signal, travelled alongside me in what was to be the wrong lane to be in, and then suddenly turned across me, right in front of me. The lady even had the cheek to say it was ME who caused the accident because on a motorcycle space is required to manuever when forced to change direction, you don’t just steer away to one side and then turn like a car does. Ask any experienced biker. This was obviously mispresented in order to obtain the CCJ.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Have you talked to your insurance company about this CCJ?
AbdulG says
Hi Sara,
I had 4 CCJ worth around £12500, i was making payments then had personal issues, marriage breakdown etc and i moved out of the country back in 2013 and return to UK in 2019. on all CCJ says county court business centre, would i need to contact CCJ business centre to pay CCJ? ideally i want to pay the CCj’s but am scared what letters have been sent to me by court and since i was not here i have ignored them? its causing me lot of stress and i have read you can go to jail if you ignore the court letters? Can you please advise?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You can only get sent to jail if you are sent an Order to Attend Court for Questioning and you don’t go to court, or you are asked to complete a N56 Form for an attachment of earnings application and you don’t. See https://debtcamel.co.uk/prison-for-debt/.
This is really rare and I haven’t come across anyone having this problem if they are out of the country. I suggest you talk to National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 and ask for their advice on your options.
AbdulG says
Thanks Sara much appreciated.
I found an year old Bailiff card from county court which says i must pay £2400 or they will remove goods from the house, obviously i was not in the country at the time. so my sister told them i was not living here which was true.
I thought County court Bailiffs are only sent if it is govt related debt ie council tax, fine, business rates, etc. all my CCJ were banks and credit cards and had no default on any priority debts, so why county court bailiffs were chasing this? wouldn’t this be done by debt collectors agency? Thanks once again for your help.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
County Court bailiffs collect CCJs. I suggest again that you should talk to National Debtline.
Daniel S says
Hi Sara,
I had received a CCJ in February last year and a possession order was given to the bank to repossess my home after I was unable to meet the mortgage payments due to a long period of unemployment. I have checked three crediit reports, Equifax, Experian and Transunion but none of them have reflected the CCJ. I have since secured a job and come to an arrangement with the bank to make payments. The bank have the possession order but haven’t acted on it as I have been keeping up to the payment schedule. I am perplexed tthat the CCJ is not on the credit report but reluctant to check the Trustonline register to reveal what I fear. Is there any other reason why the CCJ has not been picked up on any of the credit reports?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
is this CCJ linked to the possession order?
Daniel S says
The CCJ is linked to the possession order and I will check Registry Trust’s database of CCJs at some stage.
As my credit reports do not reflect the CCJ if companies carry out a credit check will they only refer to the credit reference agencies and their data, or do they also check the Trust’s database of CCJ’s? I am wondering whether I need to volunteer detrimental information that is not showing on my credit reports.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You need to accurately answer any questions you are asked. I would not normally see the need to disclose further information (except in situations such as bankruptcy which aren’t relevant here).
Greg says
Hi,
I am wondering if I can get some support. I have a CCJ that is for £750, I have approached the creditor and due to my health they have agreed to write the debt off, however have left the CCJ as active. I have chased this with them and they assure me that now the debt was been marked as closed on their system the debt can’t be resold. I sought advise was was advised to apply to the courts to have the CCJ set aside because they have no interest in pursuing the debt the CCJ should be marked as satisfied or closed. It since transpires with a lot of phone calls that the CCJ was applied for at an incorrect address, and I never received the notification of the judgement until a year later. I already have a hearing date to go to court, however I don’t know what I need to do, to make the court aware the papers where served at an incorrect address. I have tried speaking with the original company, however they have been unwilling to help resolve the issue, and say I now need to speak to the courts. They have also threatened to add more charges If I loose my case however they have agreed the debt has already been a write off, so I am a little confused on what I should be doing.
I feel I am slight over my head with this now :/
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Does it matter if the CCJ stays there if they have agreed to write it off?
I sought advise was was advised to apply to the courts to have the CCJ set aside because they have no interest in pursuing the debt the CCJ should be marked as satisfied or closed.
Who said this?
Greg says
I got advised that Capquest owned the debt, and there the ones on there system who have closed it, however it could get outsourced to other companies as the CCJ would remain active
Sara (Debt Camel) says
advised by?
Greg says
step change
Sara (Debt Camel) says
OK, I suggest you talk to National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 about this.
Greg says
okay will give them a call, I chased step change again and they suggested citizens advice so will try this now.
You might get an update from how I get on if you like :/
Jack says
morning,
4 years ago I received a ccj in my name for a parking ticket, in a private car park, the notice was sent to my parents address on which I was no longer a resident at, I discovered this a number weeks after when returning to collect my mail, I paid the the notice there and then, I have since been onto Equifax carried out a credit check and the ccj is still on file marked as satisfied, I did no attend the court hearing at the time as I was unaware of the matter as it was sent to my parents address, is there any way I can appeal to get this removed?
many thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Talk to National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 to see if there is a good chance of getting the CCJ set aside.
Hannah says
I have only just been made aware that 4 years ago I had a CCJ for a missed council tax payment, which was passed on to a debt collection agency (Bayliffs)
I had moved out of my ex partners house and was not aware of this. I have since moved twice, have not missed any other payments and there is nothing showing up on my credit scores/records about this. However I am terrified that the debt owed has now risen to a large sum of money or that I will go to jail. What do I do?
Weatherman says
Hi Hannah
First of all, it’s very rare to go to jail for not paying council tax. The court would have to agree that you have deliberately refused to pay it – so if you engage now, that won’t happen.
This won’t have been a CCJ – which is why it’s not on your credit report. That’s also why it’s easy not to realise you’ve got the debt until someone shows up at your door!
I’m assuming here that these *are* bailiffs. Technically, bailiffs and debt collectors are different (bailiffs/Enforcement Agents have more powers – debt collectors are just people the council has either asked to try to get the money from you, or sometimes people the debt has been sold to).
The amount you owe might have increased a bit, because it sounds like the council have got a Liability Order against you – they can add the costs of this to your debt, and bailiff costs. Usually the cost of a liability order is low (sometimes as low as £20), and bailiff costs depend on what ‘stage’ of enforcement they’re at: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/action-your-creditor-can-take/bailiffs/how-bailiffs-should-treat-you/check-bailiffs-fees/
Weatherman says
Your best next steps:
1) Contact the council to find out how much the debt is. Tell them you’re going to get debt advice as you hadn’t realised you owed this money. You can also ask them to stop the bailiffs taking any further action, although they might not.
2) Get debt advice! Call National Debtline on 0808 808 4000
In the meantime, you don’t need to let the bailiffs in, as long as you haven’t previously let them in. If you have previously let them in, it’s even more important that you contact National Debtline.
I hope that helps, and good luck
Hannah says
Thanks so much for your response.
I’ve moved out of the area and am now with a different council, so would I need to contact the council where I was living previously?
I’m worried doing this will get me into even more trouble as they will now know my details etc. And if the debt is higher than I can afford to pay :(
Will the council still have details of this debt if they had already passed it on to debt collectors? i think it was with JWP?
Weatherman says
Hi Hannah
No problem at all :)
You’d need to contact the council you owe the money to. If the council has *sold* the debt to JWP, they will tell you that – if so, you’d then need to contact JWP, as they now own that debt.
If they’ve just passed it on to JWP to collect on their behalf, the council still owns it.
It’s not worth trying to ‘outrun’ your debts. If it’s an amount that you can’t afford to pay up front, the council should be willing to accept payment in instalments. National Debtline can help you work out what’s affordable for you, as well as looking at whether you could e.g. get any more benefits than you do currently, or whether you could ask the council to write all or some of the debt off.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Could JWP be JBW? They are bailiffs. Have you had a letter from them?
Hannah says
Thanks so much for your response again, this is honestly so helpful.
Yes sorry it was JBW, I haven’t received any letter from them or the council at any of my new address. It was for a council tax payment of around £300, but an extra £300 something was added for the bayliffs charge.
I’m not sure who now owns the debt or if it’s increased over the years? Which is what worry’s me. Could I contact step change about this? To arrange a payment plan? Without having to contact JBW or the council directly?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
JBW have probably passed the debt back to the council as uncollectable.
It doesn’t carry on going up.
If you have other problem debts, you could talk to StepChange about your whole situation.
But from what you have said if this is your only problem then I suggest phoning the council, saying you have only just heard about this as you have moved away and ask for a payment arrangement. Have an idea how much you can pay a month before you phone up – if they try to get you to pay more, say you need to take debt advice. Then talk to your local Citizens Advice.
But the council is quite likely to be nice and pleased you have called them. They may be easier to deal with than you expect at the moment.
PS If you haven’t been contacted by the bailiffs they probably won’t be in touch. But if they are, read this https://debtcamel.co.uk/bailiffs-dont-open-door/ and contact your local Citizens Advice,
Gary Smith says
Good evening,
I write to follow up my posts from last November which you so very kindly helped me with. It’s regarding a CCJ on an old credit card.
Having finally found out there was a judgement recorded against me, and which court dealt with it , I called them (the court) and they told me the Judgement was entered in January 2014.
The lady I spoke with simply told me it was too old to enforce – as you would expect. But she was on the helpline not a legal employee.
She also told me that there had been 5 applications for an attachment of earnings since that date and all 5 had been dismissed.
My apologies now – as I know so many people write to you about CCJs older than 6 years – but the advice from all the trusted institutions ( money advice , citizens advice , etc) varies.
I have seen you mention that the original creditor has to apply again to the court for enforcement to begin – and that you often say “ this is unlikely “ – but I still don’t know what to do.
A third party has written offering many reduced settlement offers but since Jan 2020 not making any threats of enforcement.
Please do tell me what would your advice be?
Do nothing and don’t pay the settlement offer? Wait and see what happens next ?
Is it an option to even call the court in question again and ask if they will ever enforce this CCJ ? Or is this very unwise?
Thank you again so much for your time on my question.
GS
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I wonder why the Attanchment of Earnings orders were dismissed – did you challenge them ?
This is what National Debtline say (https://www.nationaldebtline.org/fact-sheet-library/statute-barred-debts-ew-/):
“County court judgments
Once a creditor has a county court judgment (CCJ) for a debt, the Limitation Act does not put any time limits on how long they have to enforce that judgment.
If your CCJ is more than six years old, and the creditor wants to use enforcement action, they must first get permission of the court. Special rules apply if they apply for a third party debt order or you already have a charging order. Contact us for advice.”
If you haven’t been paying the debt then it’s very unlikely they would get permission from the court and its very rare they would even bother to try.
It wouldn’t be unwise to “talk to the court” but it would seem pretty unlikely they would say anything helpful. A court will not give you a firm view as it’s not their job to speculate – a judge would want to know why the creditor was applying.
You could ignore what the creditor is saying if they aren’t making any threats of enforcement. If you feel uncomfortable doing this you could talk to National Debtline on 0808 808 4000.
Jenny says
Please help.
I moved in with a partner in September 2017. I did not update my address as this was only supposed to be temporary while I found new accommodation. I ended up becoming pregnant in summer 2018. I have since stayed with my partner. I did not update my address.
I have recently signed up for a credit score online account and I am horrified to find I have a CCJ – this is dated August 2018. I have ZERO records of any letters or contact as no one was given my temporary address with my partner – my old accommodation did not forward any post to me.
I am horrified and I want to know if I can dispute this and have it removed from my credit file, I am happy to pay it in full but I don’t feel it is fair when I was not notified about this.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Talk to National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 about your options.