A CCJ rarely appears on its own. It is common for a credit file to show one or more defaults as well, sometimes because the same debt escalated from missed payments to a default and then to a court judgment, and sometimes because separate accounts ran into difficulty around the same time. Lenders who consider adverse credit will usually look at the combination rather than treating the CCJ and the defaults as unrelated entries.
This page looks at why a CCJ and defaults often go together, whether it matters if they relate to the same debt, and how the combination tends to be assessed. For a single CCJ on its own, see remortgaging with a CCJ, and for the equivalent default page, see remortgaging with defaults.
On this page
This page covers
- Credit issue
- County court judgments (CCJs)Usually stays on your credit file for 6 years from the judgment date.
- How many
- More than oneLenders tend to look at whether several issues come from one period of difficulty or an ongoing pattern.
In short
- A CCJ and one or more defaults on the same file is common, and is not automatically worse than either issue alone.
- Whether the CCJ and the defaults relate to the same debt or separate accounts can change how they are read.
- Each entry, the CCJ and every default, has its own date and drops off your file 6 years after that date.
- A full picture of what happened usually helps an adviser present your case more clearly.
Why a CCJ and defaults often appear together
A CCJ is usually the end point of a debt that has already gone wrong, not the start of one. An account often falls behind, is recorded as a default after a run of missed payments, and only later ends up in court if it remains unpaid and the creditor pursues it. Where that happens on the same account, the default and the CCJ are two records of the same underlying problem, at different stages.
It is also common to have a CCJ on one account and separate, unrelated defaults on others, particularly if a period of financial difficulty affected several debts at once rather than just one.
Does it matter if they are the same debt or different debts?
| Situation | What it may suggest | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| A default and a CCJ on the same account | One debt, escalated. The default date should be earlier than the judgment date | That the account details, balance and dates match across both entries |
| A CCJ on one account and defaults on separate accounts | A wider period of difficulty across more than one debt | Whether the accounts share a cause, such as redundancy or illness, worth explaining together |
For illustration only. Every credit file and every lender assessment is different.
Some lenders may look more favourably on a single underlying problem that led to both a default and a CCJ than on the same number of entries spread across genuinely separate debts, though this is never guaranteed and depends on the lender.
How the combination may be assessed
Lenders who consider adverse credit will usually look at the whole file rather than any single entry.
- The dates of the CCJ and each default, and whether they cluster in one period
- Whether all of them are satisfied, or a mix of paid and unpaid
- The total value across every entry, not just the largest one
- What has happened since, including your mortgage payment record
If you have more than one CCJ as well as defaults, our page on remortgaging with multiple CCJs covers how a group of judgments alone may be viewed, and remortgaging with multiple defaults does the same for several defaults.
Getting the full picture from your credit file
- List every CCJ and default with its date, amount and current status
- Check whether any default and CCJ share an account number or creditor
- Note which entries are satisfied and which are still outstanding
- Get your free statutory reports from Experian, Equifax and TransUnion and compare them, since one agency may show an entry the others do not
A short written summary of what happened, in date order, helps an adviser present a clearer case than leaving a lender to piece the entries together from the credit reports alone.
What lenders may look at with a CCJ and defaults together
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Whether entries relate to the same debt | A default and CCJ on one account may be viewed as a single problem rather than two separate ones. |
| Number of entries in total | How many defaults and CCJs are on the file altogether, and whether they cluster in one period. |
| Satisfied or unsatisfied | Whether every entry has been paid, or some remain outstanding. |
| Total value | The combined amount across every default and CCJ, not just the largest single entry. |
| Most recent entry | The date of the latest default or CCJ, which often carries the most weight. |
| Mortgage payment history | Whether your mortgage stayed up to date through the period these entries were recorded. |
| Loan to value | How much equity you have, which affects the range of lenders who may consider your file. |
| Income and affordability | Whether your current income supports the mortgage you want once stress tested. |
These are general points, not lender rules. Each lender sets and changes its own criteria.
Information an adviser may ask for
You don’t need all of this to make an enquiry. It helps to know where to find it, because an adviser is likely to ask about most of it.
- A list of every CCJ and default, with dates, amounts and current status
- Whether any default and CCJ relate to the same account or creditor
- Recent copies of your Experian, Equifax and TransUnion reports
- A brief written explanation of what happened and what has changed since
- Your mortgage balance, deal end date and an estimate of your home’s value
- Proof of income and your main monthly outgoings
Frequently asked questions
If a default led to my CCJ, does it count as two separate problems?
Lenders will usually see both entries, but many will read a default and CCJ on the same account as one underlying issue rather than two unrelated ones, particularly if the dates and amounts line up.
Is having a CCJ and defaults worse than having a CCJ alone?
Not automatically. What tends to matter most is the overall pattern: how recent the entries are, whether they are satisfied, and what has happened since, rather than simply the number of entries on the file.
Should I deal with the default or the CCJ first?
If they relate to the same debt, paying the CCJ typically resolves both. If they are separate, prioritise whichever is more recent or unsatisfied, since an unpaid judgment can rule out some lenders regardless of what else is on your file.
Will one credit reference agency show more entries than another?
It can happen, since not every creditor reports to all three agencies in the same way. Check Experian, Equifax and TransUnion separately before you apply, so nothing comes as a surprise.