What is the CCJ Register?
31st Dec 2024
A County Court Judgment (CCJ) is a court order issued against a borrower who has failed to repay their debts in England and Wales. If a CCJ is issued against you, it is typically recorded on the Register of Judgments, Orders, and Fines, which was previously known as the Register of County Court Judgments and will also appear on your credit record. A CCJ allows the person you owe the money to take further legal steps to get you to pay what you owe, and is a serious matter. Getting a CCJ takes time and money to go through the court system, so is often the final step after the lender has tried everything else to get their money back. Here, we explain what the CCJ Register is, how it will affect your credit score, and what you need to know if you find yourself listed on it.
What is the CCJ Register?
The Register of Judgments, Orders, and Fines, often referred to as the CCJ Register, is a public record of everyone who has been given a County Court Judgment. The register is accessible online and can be checked by anyone, not just people you are trying to borrow money from.
The register includes the name and address of the person with the CCJ, along with the case and court number, and the amount owed. Once the debt is resolved, this information is updated to reflect the outcome. The register does not disclose the details of who the money is owed to, or the circumstances of the debt.
If the debt is paid within one month of the judgment, all details are removed from the register. CCJs can also be cancelled or set aside if you can prove that the judgment was issued by mistake, or if the defendant was unaware of the CCJ perhaps because letters were sent to the wrong address. Debtors can pay their CCJ back in a lump sum, or might be able to agree staged payments with the court.
Who Can Access the CCJ Register?
The CCJ Register is publicly accessible through the Registry Trust Limited website. Anyone can go online and search the register, but apart from financial institutions, the two main groups of people who want to check are:
- Landlords who want to verify that potential tenants do not have a history of unpaid debts.
- Employers who may check the financial backgrounds of potential hires, especially when applying for positions in financial services or involving handling large sums of cash.
How Long Are CCJs Recorded?
Unless paid within one month or set aside, a CCJ remains on the official register for six years. Even after the debt is paid, the record of the CCJ will be visible. Upon full payment, individuals can obtain a "certificate of satisfaction," which indicates the debt has been cleared, though it does not remove the CCJ from the register. If you have a CCJ on your record, then the best advice is to pay it off as quickly as you can, and keep your record as clean as possible to try to show that you are managing your finances in a responsible manner.
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