A county court claim is a claim for money through the legal system, in which one party is able to force a judgment on another through a trial administered by a judge. These claims can be disputed, but if handled incorrectly, can have adverse effects on one’s credit rating.
Disputing a claim is still perfectly fine if you wish to contest the amount owed, or that you owe anything at all. A judge will determine which party is the most correct and pass a judgment. The judgment that comes about will be a legal judgment and it must be abided by. However, the judge must formulate a payment plan if it is seen you do not have the funds on hand.
A county court judgment gone wrong will stay on your record for six years. It’s a heavy burden to deal with, and quite difficult to explain to lenders reviewing your history. Note that you will not have it on your record unless you miss payments that the judge sets for you. This payment is tailored to your budget and should be conceivable in terms of your ability to pay.
Some don’t view the CCJ as a serious matter. In actuality, the CCJ is on terms with a bankruptcy when regarding your reputation and credit report. Like a bankruptcy, it is not a short-term blemish. It will remain on your credit history for six years, and may not be removed until that date, no matter how much you plead and beg to creditors.
A bankruptcy doesn’t necessarily disallow a mortgage loan, and neither does the county court judgment. It just means that you will have to work harder in order to prove yourself over the next year or so. Often if you have an otherwise perfect credit history, a lender will overlook the CCJ on file and put faith in you as an individual. Of course, this demands that you have had a long line of credit and have maintained it without error.
If you had bad credit before you were hit with the country court judgment, you can expect much greater difficulty in getting a mortgage. Bad credit CCJ mortgages do exist, but they will require a hefty deposit and won’t feature the most agreeable terms. Like any lender, there are multiple bad credit CCJ lenders to size up and ultimately decide to do mortgage business with.
Closing Comments
CCJ mortgages aren’t as valued as generalized mortgage loans, so do your best to keep a county court judgment from befalling your name. If it does happen to tarnish your credit, do your best to work towards a better credit until the six year penalty is up.
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