Mortgage with Satisfied CCJ | A Complete Guide Of Getting a Mortgage Approved with County Court Judgments

Getting a mortgage with a CCJ is complicated because mortgage lenders won’t able to trust you with monthly repayments. It is not easy to get a mortgage with CCJ but with the help of an expert broker, you can get a suitable mortgage deal. In this article, we will explore the possibilities of getting a mortgage with CCJ and try to answer the questions such as can I get a mortgage with a CCJ, does a satisfied CCJ affect credit, how to apply for a mortgage with a county court judgement etc. We have worked with various clients and helped them with their loan applications with a CCJ. 

 Mortgage with a CCJ

A record number of CCJs – or County Court Judgments – were issued in 2019, according to the Money Expert. The total of 1.17 million CCJs issued represented £1.7 billion of debt, an 8% increase in the comparable figures for the year before.

With so many individuals likely to be the subject of such judgments, therefore, it might be helpful to examine just what they are and address whether it is possible to get a mortgage with a satisfied CCJ.

Post Topics

Mortgage with a CCJ

What is a CCJ

The nature of CCJs

Can I get a mortgage with a satisfied CCJ?

Does a satisfied CCJ affect credit?

How much does a satisfied CCJ affect my credit report?

How can I build my credit score after getting a CCJ?

Does the size of a county court judgement affect the mortgage application?

Next Steps

What is a CCJ?

If someone – an individual or a company – believes that you owe them money and you have not responded to their requests for payment, they may apply to the county court requesting an order that you pay the amount owed.

The process is relatively straightforward, as is the communication of any order made by the County Court. As the official website explains, the CCJ is simply sent to you by post, at your last known address, stating:

• the amount you owe;

• how to make payment – by instalments or in full;

• the deadline for making the payment or payments; and

• who you must pay.

If you respond to the CCJ by paying the amount ordered within 30 days, your debt is said to be “satisfied”, and the record of the CCJ having been made is deleted completely. If you make payment after the 30-day deadline, however, although you will still have satisfied the CCJ, the judgment remains a matter of public record.

For as long as the CCJ remains unpaid, explains the credit reference agency experian , the order remains “unsatisfied”. The record of your CCJ remains public for six years, after which it is deleted from the public record.

The nature of CCJs

The majority – 33% – of CCJs are for relatively small amounts, of between £100 and £500, explains the Registry Trust.

This may also reflect the fact that many CCJs are taken out against younger people. 160,000 of youngsters in their 20s had CCJs recorded against them during the course of 2019, often, for example, for relatively low-value transactions such as subscriptions or mobile ‘phone contracts.

To make matters worse, many of those youngsters are likely to be moving around from one residential address to another. They may, therefore, be completely unaware that a CCJ has been posted through the letterbox of a recent residence.

In those cases, although it is then possible to request the court to “set aside” the judgment, in practice, few people do so – since they remain unaware that the CCJ has been issued.

Can I get a mortgage with a satisfied CCJ

The increase in the volume of CCJs issued is a worrying trend across all age groups, of course, but might be a special concern for younger people because of the adverse effect such an order has on your credit rating and, therefore, on your ability to secure a mortgage – or any other credit for that matter.

The very fact of a CCJ may indicate to most potential lenders that you have defaulted on previous responsibilities for paying your debts. Past defaultsMissed payments on credit accounts, which can affect a borro... are typically read as a likelihood of your repeating the failure in future, so, further credit may be denied.

There are mortgage lenders, however, who take a more understanding approach and are prepared to consider your application for a mortgage even though you previously had a CCJ.

Naturally, any potential lender will also consider how you responded to the CCJ:

• if you responded by settling the debt within 30 days of the issue of a CCJ, you have already satisfied the court order it and the fact of its issue is no longer a matter of public record;

• even if you delayed settlement beyond the initial 30-day period, you satisfied the order once you paid the debt; but

• if the CCJ remains unpaid for as long as six years’ after its issue, the order is still unsatisfied.

Provided the order has been satisfied, a potential mortgage lender is more likely to consider your application favourably – even if it is still a matter of public record – rather than a CCJ which remains unsatisfied.

Since the record of a CCJ will have affected your credit rating, you may, in any event, need to pay a higher rate of interest for your mortgage or accept more rigorous terms. The bigger the deposit you have, the better.

To ensure that you get the most appropriate mortgage with a CCJ, you may wish to use the services of a specialist broker. He or she will be able to identify the lenders who will consider your application and who offer what they consider are favourable rates and terms (based on your own unique financial situation).

Read about mortgages with unsatisfied CCJ in our next article. 

Does a satisfied CCJ affect credit?

Getting a CCJ added to your credit report is not good and could damage your credit score. A country court judgement will deteriorate your credit report which will push the mortgage lenders away. However, if you paid your CCJ it might improve your chances of getting a mortgage. A satisfied CCJ might improve your credit score and you can start your mortgage application process. It is always better to check your credit report before starting any loan application process. 

How much does a satisfied CCJ affect my credit report?

Full payment of your county court judgment can affect your credit ratings positively and can increase your credit score. However, it is not enough to get your mortgage application approved, you may need to prove that you can clear the affordability assessment by the lender. The best is to contact a specialist mortgage broker who can help you to get the mortgage application approved. 

How can I build my credit score after getting a CCJ?

The first step is to make sure that you can meet payments on your CCJ. If you cannot afford to repay the amount then you should try to negotiate with the creditor to reduce the amount owed. You may be able to settle the case without having to go through the full legal process. This would save you money and time. If this fails then you should consult a solicitor about taking action against the creditor. Once you have settled the CCJ you should apply for an extension of the repayment term so that you do not fall behind again.

Secondly, avoid making new credit and loan applications until you have built up some positive history. Your credit score could take several months to recover from a negative impact.

Thirdly, use your updated information in your credit report such as a current address, electoral roll etc.

Does the size of a county court judgement affect the mortgage application?

Yes, the size of CCJ can negatively impact your application., but there are ways to overcome this problem. For example, if you have a large debt, you can ask the lender to give you a longer period to repay the debt. In addition, you can also ask the lender to waive off part of the interest charges.

If you have a small amount of debt, you can ask them to extend the repayment term. You can also ask them to lower the monthly instalments.

Next Steps

You can increase the chances of your mortgage application approval by consulting a specialist mortgage adviser with experience in handling CCJ mortgage applications. A specialist broker can help you to contact specialist lenders who can approve your loan application with a country court judgement. Feel free to contact our team of experts who can guide you further.