The Registry of Judgements contains all records of County Court Judgements, fines, and orders. The records are destroyed after six years whether the debts have been paid or not.
If you can’t wait for six years, there are some instances where you can have the entry removed or changed.
You don’t owe the debt
If you don’t owe any debt, you can ask the court to re-open the case. You are required to have a legal reason that you don’t owe the debt.
The first step is contacting the court and asking them to set aside the CCJ either by letter or form N244. You are going to be charged for this in most cases. You need to act fast because it will give you more chance of succeeding as long as there is a justifiable reason.
If your request is accepted by the court and they decide to set aside the CCJ, you get the chance of putting forward your case. If the court finds that you don’t owe the money, they are going to remove CCJ from the registry. This process is going to take three to four weeks to complete.
You pay the debt one month after getting the CCJ
If you pay back the debt within the first month after getting the CCJ, you can apply for your entry to be removed from the registry.
It is important to start by obtaining a certificate from the court which shows you have paid off your debt. You are going to pay 15 pounds for this. The fee can be waived or reduced if you are on a low income.
When your entry has been removed, the credit reference agencies are going to be notified and they are also going to update the information. CCJ is going to be removed from your credit record.
Paying the debt more than a month after getting the CCJ
If you pay the debt owed in full more than a month after getting the CCJ, you can have the registry changed by applying. You will have to get a certificate from the court showing that the debt has been paid in full.
This is going to cost 15 pounds, but it can be waived or reduced if you are on a low income. The entry is not going to be removed, but there will be a note left on it that shows you have fully paid the debt. This is referred to as satisfied.
When a record is changed in the register, all the credit reference agencies are going to be updated too and the information is going to be changed.
The CCJ is going to remain for six years starting from the day you got the judgment, but the records are going to show you have paid the debt. This can make it a little easier to get credit from some lenders.
