If a creditor can prove to the Court that a debt is owed, the Court will give judgement to the creditor and the debt will have to be repaid. The creditor can then ask the court to recover the debt in various ways, including the use of an attachment of earnings order and Bailiffs. If a county court has ordered you to pay, called “having judgement entered against you”, details of the judgement will usually be entered on the Register of County Court Judgements. Most entries stay on the Register for six full years. The Register is maintained by the Registry Trust, a non-profit organisation.

CCJs paid within one calendar month can be removed from the Register. Where the CCJ is paid outside one calendar month, the CCJ will be marked on the Register as “satisfied” but will reported for the six years. For a CCJ to be marked as “satisfied”, you need a certificate of satisfaction from the county court concerned. You will need to quote the case number to the court and provide the court with written evidence that the CCJ has been paid in full. There is a court fee of £10. CCJ registrations can also be removed if they were entered in error or paid before the court action. Application must be made to the court to have the CCJ set aside for which a court fee of £50 is payable.

You can require the credit reference agencies to include a “notice of correction” on your credit file in order to explain the information held. Where the notice relates to a CCJ, Registry Trust operates an exchange for the credit reference agencies. You need notify only one and the rest will be notified automatically.