How long does a CCJ last on a company credit report?

Chapter 1

How long does a CCJ last?

When a CCJ is filed against you, it is added to a database called the Register of Judgments, Orders, and Fines within a month.

The register is operated by the Registry Trust, a company that holds all adverse CCJ information on companies within England and Wales. This company also shares data with credit checking companies.

A County Court Judgment (CCJ) lasts on the Register of Judgments and your credit file for 6 years, however, there are some exceptions which we will outline below. Within these 6 years, if you apply for credit, your lender will see the CCJ on your credit file

Also, if you are looking to do new business with someone and they check your company credit report in their due diligence process, they will be informed of the CCJ.

Check to see if a company has a CCJ on their credit report.

Chapter 1

What is a County Court Judgment or CCJ?

A County Court Judgment (CCJ) is a court order that a creditor (someone that has extended services or products to you at a cost) has taken out against you for an unpaid debt. It is the action of the Courts instructed by the creditor to get the money back to the person/company you owe. If you receive a letter regarding a CCJ, you need to respond within 14 days to get the benefit of flexibility. If you fail to respond within this timeframe, the court may order you to pay back the money you owe at a rate you cannot afford and it could lead to further legal action.

If you and your creditor can reach an agreement via responding to the court’s forms, you could avoid legal action; so it’s important to keep on top of your mail and correspondence.

Having a CCJ on your credit file will likely hinder your business as it will make it harder to take out further credit. It could also discourage other businesses from working with you if they see it on your company credit report. It could also affect your company's credit score.

Chapter 1

Removing a CCJ from your credit report

After 6 years, the CCJ will be removed from the Register and your credit file even if it’s not yet been fully satisfied.

If you pay a CCJ in full, within 1 month, you can request it be removed from your credit file. If a CCJ goes unpaid, it will remain on your credit file for 6 years, and if it does get paid but after the one-month deadline, it will still appear on your file but will appear as ‘satisfied’.

If you feel that you have been wrongly issued a CCJ, you can apply to have it ‘set aside’ if you have a valid reason for doing so. For example, if you hadn’t been properly informed of the claim; e.g. the forms got sent to the wrong address, or you have proof that you have already paid a debt, you may be able to get the CCJ cancelled if you act as soon as you find out about it.

There is a court fee to set aside a CCJ, and you will need to attend a hearing.

If you have paid the debt in full within the first month of receiving your ‘judgment for claimant’ letter you can apply to have the record removed from the register.

Chapter 1

How to check if a company has a CCJ?

With late payments continuing to be rife among the UK business economy, you should always do your due diligence on potential customers before dealing with them.

When you do this, if they have any adverse CCJ information on their file, it will appear on a company credit report. Alternatively, CCJ information can be viewed at a fee from the Registry Trust website.

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How long does a CCJ last?