When applying for credit, every lender has their own requirements and can refuse your application. You won’t always be told why, however one of the reasons could be that a County Court Judgment (CCJ) has been made against you.
A CCJ is made because someone, or a company you owe money to:
- Took legal action in the county court against you, and
- The court decided that you owe the money, and
- The person or company applied for judgement and obtained a court order saying you must pay back the money you owe.
Once a CCJ has been made, it is usually entered in the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines.
When you make an application for credit, a creditor will usually check your financial situation by checking your credit record with a credit reference agency. The credit reference agency will have details of your CCJ, taken from the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines.
In most cases, you will have been told about the CCJ, but sometimes you may miss one if, for example, the papers were sent to the wrong address.
To find out if a CCJ has been made against you, you can search the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines, or ask to see a copy of the information held by credit reference agencies.
How can I find out if a CCJ has been made against me?
You can search the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines in person, or by post. You are also able to make a request by email and there is a fee of £4.
You can also apply to the credit reference agency the lender used for a copy of the information they hold on you. This will cost you £2. Some credit reference agencies may offer a more in-depth report, as well as the basic version. They may give additional information not contained in the basic version of the report, but it will cost more.
The credit reference agency must provide you with any information they hold about you for the basic fee of £2.
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