County Court Judgements are on the rise amongst people who are unaware they have received them according to an investigation by the Daily Mail Newspaper. This has left many families distraught that they have been prevented from buying houses or worse having to sell homes and businesses to pay off debts.
The process of issuing CCJs is now much faster than in it was in the past thanks to the ease with which claims can be processed without anyone appearing in court. Claims can simply be filed in bulk at a court office building in Northampton. The process is all done electronically making the system extremely efficient but also allowing the possibility of mistakes being made.
Addresses can sometimes get mixed up or companies can end up pursuing a claim against someone who may have moved house and failed to update their address details.
The current system doesn’t allow checking of addresses to make sure they are correct and this has left many people completely unaware they have a CCJ until they apply for a mortgage or other form of borrowing and get turned down.
CCJs can be a devastating blow to individuals, resulting them being unable to borrow money and having the CCJ appear on their file for several years. According to recent research 2,000 judgments are being signed off per day, without those concerned being present to defend themselves.