Pro Tips

What to Do if You Get a CCJ

May 7, 2025

dealing-with-a-ccj

There’s no worse feeling than checking your credit file and suddenly seeing a CCJ listed against your name. Especially when you had no idea it was coming (or what it really means).

Your heart starts pumping and your thoughts racing at a million miles an hour:
What is this? Who issued it? Why didn’t I know about it? What does this mean for my mortgage/job/life?

I’ve been there. It happened to me, and that’s exactly why I built ChallengeCCJ — because the process of fighting back is confusing, slow, and stacked against normal people.But here’s the good news: you can challenge it. And here are five practical steps to get you started:


1. Check Your Credit File and Note the Details

The first sign of a surprise CCJ usually comes from a dip in your credit score. Head to Experian, CheckMyFile, or ClearScore to check your full credit report.You’re looking for:

  • Claim number

  • Court name

  • Date of judgment

  • Amount owed

  • Claimant name (if it shows)

If the claimant’s name isn’t listed (which it often isn’t), move on to the next step. If you don’t know what some of these terms mean, check out our previous article here.


2. Use the Registry Trust to Get More Info

Visit trustonline.org.uk and search for your CCJ using your name and address. It costs £6, but it’s the quickest way to get the claim number and court name if they weren’t on your credit file.Once you’ve got the claim number and court name, you can contact the court directly (usually the Civil National Business Centre) to ask who issued the claim and where they sent the paperwork.


3. Work Out If You Can Challenge It (Set It Aside)

In many cases, surprise CCJs happen because the paperwork was sent to the wrong address — usually your old address.

If you can show that:

  • You didn’t receive the claim form, and

  • You would have responded if you had,

…you might be able to apply to set aside the judgment.

This involves submitting three key documents to the court:

  1. N244 application form

  2. Draft Order

  3. Witness Statement

You’ll also need to pay a £303 court fee (or apply for a fee waiver using form EX160 if you’re eligible).


4. Request a Subject Access Request (SAR)

Send a SAR (Subject Access Request) to the claimant (e.g. a parking company, debt collector, or law firm). This forces them to hand over all the data they hold on you — including whether they tried to trace your address before issuing court proceedings.You might find they didn’t follow proper procedure (e.g. no credit check done to find your new address), which can strengthen your case for a set aside.


5. Get Help — You Don’t Have to Do This Alone

This process is stressful. It’s jargon-heavy, slow, and easy to mess up if you’re trying to juggle everything else in your life. That’s why I created ChallengeCCJ — an AI tool that helps you:

  • Understand if you’re eligible to challenge your CCJ

  • Generate all the legal paperwork you need

  • Navigate the steps without spending £££ on solicitors

There’s no quick fix — but there is a clear path. And we’re here to help you take it, one step at a time.