Can I have a CCJ without knowing about it?

In rare circumstances, you might have a county court judgment (CCJ) against you for failing to repay a debt and not even know about it.

Find out if you have unknowingly received a CCJ and what to do about it.

How do I find out if I have a CCJ I don’t know about?

Sometimes you might only become aware of a CCJ when you apply for credit, like a loan or mortgage.

Checking your credit report with an agency like Experian, Equifax or TransUnion will show you if there is a CCJ on your file and who applied for it.

My credit file doesn’t show who applied for the CCJ

If there’s a CCJ against you that you didn’t know about, details about who applied for it should be included on your credit file.

If for any reason they’re not, get in touch with the Civil National Business Centre or contact the court where the CCJ was issued for more information.

They’ll tell you who the creditor is, their address and details of the debt.

Once you’ve done this, you can either dispute the judgment or start to negotiate a repayment plan.

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Why have I received a CCJ?

A CCJ is usually issued after you’ve missed two or three payments.

There’s no minimum debt level required so you can get a CCJ for even a small debt, like a missed parking fine.

A creditor should give you several opportunities to set up a payment plan or repay what you owe in full.

You should have received letters about the unpaid debt and the consequences of failing to pay by a specified date before getting a CCJ claim form.

Why didn’t I know about the CCJ?

There are a few reasons why you might not know about a CCJ issued against you.

This could be because the creditor sent paperwork to an old address or didn’t follow the correct procedure. If this happens, the court will assume you’ve ignored the claim and issue a CCJ ‘in default’.

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Can I get an incorrect CCJ removed?

If you’ve discovered a CCJ has been issued against you but don’t believe you owe the money, you can apply for the judgment to be cancelled – ‘set aside’ – by sending an application to the court using form N244.

There’s a fee of £303 for this and you’ll need to be able to prove you don’t owe the money.

If you owe the money, the CCJ can be removed from your credit file if you repay the full amount within 30 days.

You can then apply for a certificate of cancellation to prove you don’t owe anything else towards the debt using form N443.