A County Court Judgment is one of those things people assume closes the door on a mortgage entirely. It usually does not. What it does is narrow which lenders will consider you, and by how much depends on a surprising amount of detail: how much it was for, when it was registered, whether you have paid it, and how much deposit you have.
Key takeaway: A CCJ on its own rarely rules you out. Lenders weigh five things together: the value of the judgment, how long ago it was registered, whether it has been satisfied, how long ago it was satisfied, and your loan to value. Change any one of those and the answer can change completely.
[[stats: Specialist lenders = Where the high street says no | 6 Years = How long a CCJ stays on record | 1 Month = Window to have it removed entirely | 90+ = Lenders searched | Free = Initial consultation | National = Coverage across the UK]]
What a CCJ actually is
A County Court Judgment is a court order confirming you owe money you have not paid. It is registered on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines, which is a public record maintained by Registry Trust, and it stays there for six years from the date of judgment.
Two things about that are worth knowing straight away.
The first is that it is public. Anyone can search the register, and lenders do. A CCJ will show up even where it does not appear prominently on your credit file.
The second is that six years is a hard stop. Once a CCJ passes its sixth anniversary it drops off the register entirely, and from that point most lenders treat you as having no judgment at all. If yours is approaching that date, timing your application can matter enormously.
The one month rule most people miss
This is the single most useful thing on this page, and it is time-sensitive.
If you pay a CCJ in full within one month of the judgment date, you can apply to have it removed from the register completely. Not marked as satisfied, removed. It disappears as though it never happened.
Pay it on day 32 and you cannot. The judgment stays on the register for the full six years, marked satisfied.
That one month window closes quietly, and most people only discover it existed long after it has passed. If you have had a judgment registered recently and can clear it, do it now rather than next month.
What lenders actually look at
There is no single rule. Lenders assess CCJs across five dimensions at once, and it is the combination that decides the outcome rather than any one factor.
[[table: What lenders assess | Why it matters ;; The value of the judgment | A small judgment is treated very differently to a large one. Several lenders disregard low-value CCJs entirely, particularly older ones ;; How long ago it was registered | The older the judgment, the less weight it carries. Options widen considerably as it ages ;; Whether it is satisfied | An unsatisfied CCJ is a live debt. A satisfied one is a historic problem. This is often the single biggest factor ;; How long since it was satisfied | Recently settled is better than outstanding, but a judgment satisfied years ago is treated more favourably again ;; Your loan to value | The larger your deposit, the more risk a lender can absorb. Deposit size frequently decides borderline cases]]
The interaction is what catches people out. A modest CCJ, satisfied three years ago, with a 25% deposit may be entirely acceptable to a mainstream lender. The same judgment, unsatisfied, with a 5% deposit is a specialist case. Same person, same judgment, completely different market.
Satisfied versus unsatisfied
An unsatisfied CCJ tells a lender you owe money right now and have not paid it despite a court order. That is a live concern, and a large number of lenders will not proceed at all while a judgment remains outstanding.
A satisfied CCJ tells a completely different story. It says something went wrong, and it has been resolved. Many lenders that decline outright on an unsatisfied judgment will consider a satisfied one, and the terms available improve as time passes.
Paying it does not remove it from the register, unless you are inside that one month window. It marks it satisfied, and the date of satisfaction is recorded. That date then becomes one of the things lenders measure from.
How your deposit changes the answer
Deposit size does more work on an adverse credit case than almost anything else.
Lenders price risk. A credit issue increases perceived risk, and a larger deposit offsets it, because the lender has more equity protecting them if things go wrong. That is why the same credit history can be acceptable at 75% loan to value and declined at 95%.
In practical terms, if you have a CCJ and are close to a deposit threshold, finding a little more can widen your options more than waiting another six months. It is worth doing that maths before you apply rather than after a decline.
A real example: how the timeline plays out
Specialist lenders often build the "how long ago" dimension directly into their product range rather than deciding it case by case. Pepper Money's residential range is a useful illustration of how that timeline translates into real lending decisions.
Their entry-level product for the most recent adverse credit, Pepper 6, will consider an application where no CCJ has been registered in the last six months, up to 80% loan to value. This is close to a worst-case scenario: even with a CCJ from only just over six months ago, a route to a mortgage can still exist. Move further from the judgment and headroom typically improves, through Pepper 12, Pepper 18, Pepper 24, Pepper 36 and Pepper 48, each named after the number of clean months required, with maximum LTV rising to 90% on the longer tiers. A "Light" version of each product, requiring no CCJ history at all, can access more competitive terms than its standard equivalent.
[[table: Pepper Money product | CCJ requirement | Maximum LTV ;; Pepper 6 | None registered in the last 6 months | 80% ;; Pepper 12 | None registered in the last 12 months | 85% ;; Pepper 18 | None registered in the last 18 months | 85% ;; Pepper 24 | None registered in the last 24 months | 85% ;; Pepper 36 | None registered in the last 36 months | 90% ;; Pepper 48 | None registered in the last 48 months | 90%]]
Key lender criteria for CCJs, compared
Pepper Money is not the only specialist or near-prime lender with published CCJ criteria. Tap any card below for a closer look at how each one assesses a CCJ.
[[casestudies: Pepper Money|Products scale directly with months since your CCJ|Pepper Money's residential range scales directly with time since your CCJ. Pepper 6, its entry point, will accept an application with no CCJ registered in the last six months, up to 80% loan to value. Move through Pepper 12, Pepper 18, Pepper 24, Pepper 36 and Pepper 48, each requiring proportionately longer with no new CCJ, and maximum LTV rises to 90% on the longer tiers. A "Light" version of each tier, for applicants with no CCJ history at all, can access more competitive terms than its standard equivalent. ;; The Mortgage Lender|Four risk levels, from no CCJs in 36 months to three|The Mortgage Lender assesses CCJs across four risk levels. Its cleanest tiers, RL0 and RL1, require no CCJs registered in the last 36 months, with maximum LTV of 95% and 90% respectively. RL2 allows one CCJ in 36 months provided none has been registered in the last six months, up to 85% LTV, and RL3 allows up to three CCJs in 36 months on the same six month rule, up to 80% LTV. CCJs and defaults under £300 are disregarded across the range. ;; Aldermore|Five levels, up to 98% LTV on the cleanest tier|Aldermore uses five lending levels. Level 1, its cleanest tier, allows no CCJs in the last 36 months, up to 98% loan to value. Levels 2 and 3 allow one or two CCJs in 36 months, provided none in the last six months, up to 95% LTV. Level 4 allows up to four CCJs in 36 months, including one in the last six months, up to 90% LTV, and Level 5 supports more complex adverse credit up to 80% LTV. Combined CCJs and defaults under £300 are ignored per application. ;; Precise Mortgages|Five tiers based on the value and recency of your CCJs|Precise groups applications into five tiers. Tiers 1 and 2, its cleanest bands, require no CCJs registered in the last 24 months. Tiers 3 and 4 allow one CCJ in 24 months, provided the value is no more than £1,000 in the last 12 months or £2,500 in 24 months, and Tier 5 allows up to three CCJs in 24 months for more complex cases. ;; Bluestone|Six credit tiers, with small CCJs largely ignored|Bluestone assesses CCJs across six credit tiers. Its Clear and AAA tiers require no CCJs in the last 36 months, with LTV up to 95% and 85% respectively. The AA tier accepts one satisfied CCJ in 36 months up to 80% LTV, and the A tier allows one CCJ, satisfied or not, on the same basis. The BBB tier allows two CCJs in 36 months up to 75% LTV, and its lowest tier allows up to three. CCJs under £300, or from telecoms providers, are ignored even if registered in the last six months, and anything older than 36 months is disregarded entirely. ;; Vida Homeloans|Four tiers by recency, with small CCJs excluded entirely|Vida Homeloans groups its residential range into four tiers based on how recently a CCJ was registered. Vida36, Vida24 and Vida6 all require no CCJ of £500 or more within 36, 24 or six months respectively, with up to 85% loan to value available across all three tiers. Its Packager tier, reached only through selected mortgage clubs, will consider a CCJ registered within the last six months, up to 75% LTV. CCJs and defaults under £500 are excluded from the tiering altogether, whichever tier you fall into.]]
Good to know: This is a snapshot of published criteria from six specialist and near-prime lenders, not an exhaustive market view, and ranges like these change regularly. A mortgage broker at Quanstrom Financial can check current criteria across the whole market, including lenders not listed here, against your specific situation.
High street or near-prime lenders may accept if a CCJ is genuinely minor, or if a more serious one happened a long time ago and has since been resolved. Criteria like this tend to sit outside standard published tables and are assessed case by case, which is exactly the kind of detail a mortgage broker at Quanstrom Financial can check on your behalf before you apply anywhere.
Can a CCJ be set aside?
Sometimes, yes. Setting aside is different to paying, and it means the court cancels the judgment altogether.
The most common grounds are that you were never properly notified of the claim, often because papers went to an old address, or that you have a genuine defence you were never given the chance to make. There are others, and time limits apply.
If you only discovered the CCJ when you applied for a mortgage, it is worth taking legal advice on whether it can be set aside, because a successful application removes it entirely rather than simply marking it paid. That is a legal question rather than a mortgage one, so speak to a solicitor.
Check the register before you apply
A surprising number of people find out about a CCJ during a mortgage application, which is the worst possible moment.
You can search the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines through Registry Trust to see exactly what is recorded against you, including the amount, the date and whether it shows as satisfied. Doing that before you apply means no surprises, and it gives you the chance to fix anything that is wrong or out of date.
It is also worth checking your credit file at the same time, since the two do not always agree. Our guide to credit scoring explains what lenders see and how to check.
{{primary_cta}}
What to do if you have a CCJ and want a mortgage
- Check the register so you know the exact amount, date and status rather than working from memory.
- Understand your options. If the judgment is less than a month old, paying it in full may remove it entirely, and a specialist adviser can talk you through what that means for your application.
- Work out your deposit position. Getting to a better loan to value band may open more doors than waiting.
- Do not apply speculatively. Each application leaves a footprint, and a decline on an adverse credit case makes the next one harder.
- Get advice before applying, not after. This is exactly the situation where knowing which lender to approach first matters most.
Whichever East Sussex town you are buying or remortgaging in, a mortgage broker at Quanstrom Financial can search the whole market on your behalf, including the specialist adverse credit lenders that most high street banks and comparison sites will not show you.
Where this fits with other credit issues
A CCJ is one of several things that can affect a mortgage application, alongside defaults, missed payments, IVAs and bankruptcy. They are assessed differently from each other, and having more than one changes the picture again.
Our complete guide to adverse credit mortgages covers the wider landscape, including real client examples and how different credit events compare, and if a default is part of your situation too, our dedicated default mortgage guide explains what lenders look at there specifically.
One thing worth repeating from that guide: people routinely overestimate how serious their credit history looks to a lender. Several small, old, settled judgments can be far more acceptable than clients expect, sometimes even to a high street lender. It is genuinely worth asking rather than assuming.
Frequently asked questions
Will I pay a higher rate forever?
Hopefully not. A mortgage broker at Quanstrom Financial can work with you to identify what changes could help you move onto a high street mortgage in the next two to five years. This is not guaranteed, but there are practical steps that can help you work towards that goal.
Can I get a mortgage with a CCJ?
In most cases yes. A CCJ narrows your options rather than removing them. The value of the judgment, its age, whether it is satisfied and your deposit size all affect which lenders will consider you and on what terms.
How long does a CCJ stay on my record?
Six years from the date of judgment, on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines. After that it drops off entirely and most lenders will treat you as having no judgment.
Can I get a CCJ removed?
If you pay it in full within one month of the judgment date, you can apply to have it removed from the register completely. After that window it stays for six years, marked as satisfied once paid. Separately, a judgment can be set aside by the court in certain circumstances, such as where you were never properly notified.
Is a satisfied CCJ better than an unsatisfied one?
Considerably. An unsatisfied judgment is treated as a live unpaid debt, and many lenders will not proceed while one is outstanding. A satisfied judgment opens up options immediately, and those options improve further as time passes.
Does the amount of the CCJ matter?
Yes. A small judgment is viewed very differently to a large one, and some lenders disregard low-value CCJs entirely, particularly older ones. The value is one of the first things a lender will look at.
Will I need a bigger deposit with a CCJ?
Often, though not always. Deposit size is one of the main ways a lender offsets credit risk, so a larger deposit widens your choice of lenders and can improve the rate available. Where you are close to a threshold, finding a little more can make a real difference.
Should I wait for the CCJ to drop off before applying?
It depends how close you are. If it is a few months from its sixth anniversary, waiting may be worth it. If it is years away, waiting achieves little compared with building your deposit and getting advice sooner. It is worth taking advice rather than guessing.
What if I did not know about the CCJ?
This is more common than you would think, usually because court papers went to a previous address. If you were never properly notified, you may be able to apply to have the judgment set aside, which removes it entirely. That is a legal matter, so speak to a solicitor.
Can I get a mortgage with more than one CCJ?
It is harder but frequently still possible, particularly where the judgments are small, old and satisfied. Multiple recent or unsatisfied judgments narrow the market considerably, and this is where specialist lenders and proper advice matter most.
Do you help with CCJ mortgages across Eastbourne and East Sussex?
Yes. Quanstrom Financial is a whole-of-market mortgage broker based in Eastbourne, and we regularly help clients with CCJs from Eastbourne, Brighton, Hastings, Lewes, Bexhill, Seaford, Uckfield, Hailsham and the wider East Sussex area. Being whole-of-market means access to specialist adverse credit lenders that are not available directly on the high street.
Written by Toby Quanstrom CeMAP, Director at Quanstrom Financial, a whole-of-market mortgage broker based in Eastbourne, East Sussex, specialising in mortgages for clients with adverse credit.
This article is general information only and does not constitute personal advice. Lender criteria vary considerably and change regularly, and whether a mortgage is available depends on your individual circumstances. Setting aside a judgment is a legal matter on which you should take independent legal advice.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
.svg)