How Long After a CCJ Can You Get a Mortgage (Typical UK Timelines)

A County Court Judgment (CCJ) — or its Scottish equivalent, a decree — is a court order recorded against a person who has failed to repay a debt. Once registered, a CCJ appears on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines and on the individual's credit file. This has direct consequences for mortgage applications, because lenders carry out credit checks as part of their assessment process.

There is no single, fixed waiting period after which a CCJ ceases to affect mortgage applications. The statutory registration period is six years. Within that window, different lenders apply different policies regarding CCJ age, amount, satisfaction status, and number. This article explains how those rules work in practice, drawing on statutory regulations and published lender criteria.

A CCJ remains on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines and on credit files for six years from the date of judgment. After six years, it is automatically removed regardless of whether it has been paid.

There is no law or regulation that prevents a person with a CCJ from applying for a mortgage at any point. However, mortgage lenders set their own credit risk policies, and those policies typically treat CCJs as a negative factor. How heavily a CCJ weighs against an application depends on several variables: how recently it was registered, whether it has been paid (marked "satisfied"), the amount involved, and the number of CCJs on file.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which regulates mortgage lending under the Mortgage Conduct of Business (MCOB) rules, requires lenders to carry out affordability assessments. It does not, however, prescribe specific exclusion periods or rules regarding CCJs. Each lender determines its own approach.

If a CCJ is paid in full within one calendar month of the judgment date, the entry can be cancelled and removed entirely from the Register and from credit files. If it is paid after that one-month window, it remains on the Register for the full six years but can be marked as "satisfied."

The Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines is maintained by Registry Trust Limited on behalf of the Ministry of Justice, under powers conferred by Section 98 of the Courts Act 2003. The detailed rules governing registration, retention, and removal are set out in the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/3595).

When a CCJ is entered, it is recorded on the Register and reported to the three main credit reference agencies — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. From that point, any lender conducting a credit check during a mortgage application can see the CCJ entry, including its date, amount, and whether it has been satisfied.

The CCJ remains visible to lenders for six years from the date of judgment. After six years, it is removed automatically from both the Register and credit files. See our guide on CCJ removal for what actually happens when it drops off.

Mortgage lending in the UK is regulated by the FCA under the MCOB rules. MCOB 11.6.18R requires lenders to carry out interest rate stress testing and affordability assessments. Critically, however, the FCA does not mandate that lenders must decline applicants with CCJs, nor does it set specific CCJ exclusion periods. Lenders are free to set their own credit risk policies in this area, and those policies vary considerably.

The following rules are grounded in statute and apply uniformly across the UK.

The six-year registration period

A CCJ remains on the Register and on credit files for six years from the date of judgment. This applies in England and Wales, Scotland (where decrees serve the same function), and Northern Ireland. The period is fixed by Regulation 26 of the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines Regulations 2005 and does not vary by region or by whether the debt is paid.

The one-month cancellation window

If the full amount of the judgment debt is paid within one calendar month of the judgment date, the debtor can apply for a certificate of cancellation using Form N443. The court fee is £15, which may be waived for low-income applicants under the Help with Fees scheme. If the certificate is granted, the CCJ entry is removed from the Register and from credit files entirely — as though it had never been entered.

Satisfaction after one month

If the debt is paid in full after the one-month window has closed, the CCJ cannot be cancelled. It remains on the Register for the full six years. However, the debtor can apply for a certificate of satisfaction, again using Form N443 and paying the £15 fee. This updates the entry to show that the debt has been settled. The CCJ remains visible to lenders, but it is marked as "satisfied" rather than outstanding.

Processing time for credit file updates

Once the court issues a certificate of cancellation or satisfaction, Registry Trust notifies the credit reference agencies automatically. The update to credit files can take up to four weeks from the date of court notification.

Automatic removal at six years

At the end of the six-year period, the CCJ is removed from the Register and credit files automatically, without any application from the debtor. After removal, it no longer appears on credit reports and cannot be seen by lenders during application assessments.

Because the FCA does not prescribe CCJ exclusion rules, each lender sets its own criteria. The following thresholds are drawn from published lender criteria and Financial Ombudsman Service decisions. They illustrate how policies differ, but they should not be treated as exhaustive or guaranteed to remain current.

Very recent CCJs

In most cases, high street lenders treat CCJs registered within the last three months as high risk. Santander, for example, explicitly declines applications where a CCJ has been registered within the last three months, according to published broker sources.

Amount-based thresholds at specific lenders

Barclays has been reported to decline mortgage applications where satisfied CCJs total more than £200 and the most recent was registered within the past three years; Barclays also declines where any CCJ remains unsatisfied. This threshold is supported by a Financial Ombudsman Service decision (reference DRN5683580). HSBC has been reported to decline applications where one or more CCJs registered within the last three years total more than £500, according to published criteria, though this particular threshold carries a degree of variation in reporting.

Satisfaction period requirements

According to multiple broker sources, many high street lenders require a CCJ to have been satisfied for at least 12 months before they will consider an application. Some lenders require the CCJ to have been satisfied for three or more years. Specialist lenders may accept unsatisfied CCJs if the judgment is over two years old, though this varies.

The 36-month mark

According to published broker sources, NatWest may disregard CCJs that were registered more than 36 months ago. However, this is subject to the applicant's overall credit score and underwriter discretion, and it should not be treated as a firm rule. This is similar to how defaults are treated by mortgage lenders, where time is the biggest healer.

Multiple CCJs

Having more than one or two CCJs registered within the last two to three years significantly reduces lender options, according to broker sources. In most cases, this moves the application into specialist lender territory. Some specialist lenders — Bluestone has been cited as an example — may accept up to three CCJs in the last three years provided none were registered in the last six months. Other specialist lenders such as Pepper Money and Aldermore have been reported to consider multiple CCJs if all are over three years old.

"Satisfied" does not mean "removed"

One of the most common misunderstandings is that paying off a CCJ removes it from the record. It does not — unless payment is made within the first calendar month. After that window closes, paying the debt changes the status to "satisfied," but the entry remains visible on the Register and on credit files for the remainder of the six-year period.

There is no single "waiting period"

Because the FCA does not set CCJ-related exclusion rules for mortgage lending, there is no universal answer to the question of how long a person must wait. The answer depends on the policies of the specific lender, the amount and age of the CCJ, whether it is satisfied, and the applicant's broader credit profile.

Lender policies are not published in statute

The thresholds described in this article — the £200 limit at Barclays, the £500 figure associated with HSBC, the 36-month mark sometimes attributed to NatWest — are drawn from secondary sources including broker reports and Financial Ombudsman decisions. They reflect lender practice at the time of reporting but can change. They are not set by law.

The six-year period runs from judgment, not from satisfaction

The clock starts on the date the judgment is entered, not the date the debt is paid. A CCJ entered in January 2020 and paid in December 2023 would still be removed from the Register in January 2026 — six years from judgment.

Credit reference agencies may update at different speeds

Although Registry Trust notifies all three agencies automatically, the time it takes for a cancellation or satisfaction to appear on each credit file can vary, up to approximately four weeks. Check your CCJ status if you are unsure if it has been updated.

Scottish decrees

In Scotland, the equivalent of a CCJ is a decree issued by the Sheriff Court. Decrees are registered on the Scottish Register of Judgments for six years, the same statutory period as in England and Wales. However, the procedure for obtaining a satisfaction certificate differs. In Scotland, the debtor must obtain a letter of satisfaction from the pursuer (creditor) or their solicitor and then send it to Registry Trust with an administration fee. Unlike in England and Wales, the court does not issue the certificate directly.

Setting aside a CCJ

In England and Wales, a CCJ can be "set aside" — effectively cancelled by the court — if the debtor can demonstrate that they did not receive the original claim form or that they have a genuine defence to the claim. This requires an application using Form N244, with a court fee of £275 (unless fee remission applies). If a CCJ is set aside, it is removed from the Register as though it had never been entered. This is distinct from satisfaction or cancellation and has a different legal basis, grounded in Part 13 of the Civil Procedure Rules.

Type of debt may matter to some lenders

According to broker sources, some lenders treat CCJs arising from mobile phone contracts, utility debts, or parking fines more leniently than CCJs related to financial services debts. Some lenders have been reported to disregard CCJs under £300 or those related to mobile phone contracts. This reflects variation in lender risk assessment, not any statutory distinction between types of CCJ.

Multiple CCJs and specialist lenders

Where more than one or two CCJs have been registered within the last two to three years, the range of available lenders narrows significantly. In most cases, according to broker sources, this moves an application into the specialist lending market. The criteria applied by specialist lenders tend to be more flexible but also more varied, and they are not standardised.

The statutory framework is straightforward: a CCJ stays on the record for six years from judgment, with a narrow one-month window for full removal through cancellation. After six years, it disappears automatically.

What complicates the picture is the lending market itself. Because the FCA requires affordability assessments but does not dictate how lenders should treat CCJs, the mortgage landscape for someone with a CCJ depends heavily on which lender's criteria apply. The age of the CCJ, the amount, whether it has been satisfied, and whether there are multiple judgments all interact differently depending on the lender.

In broad terms, and based on published lender criteria and broker sources: a very recent CCJ (within the last three months) is treated as high risk by most high street lenders. As the CCJ ages, and particularly once it has been satisfied for 12 or more months, the range of lenders prepared to consider an application has been reported to expand. Some high street lenders have specific amount thresholds — Barclays at £200 and HSBC at around £500 for CCJs within the last three years — below which a satisfied CCJ may not automatically result in a decline. After 36 months, according to some broker sources, certain lenders such as NatWest may disregard the CCJ entirely, though this remains subject to overall credit scoring and underwriter discretion.

After six years, the CCJ is no longer visible on credit reports. At that point, it cannot be seen by lenders during application assessments and plays no role in credit checks.

It is important to understand that none of the lender-specific thresholds described in this article constitute guarantees of acceptance or rejection. Mortgage decisions involve multiple factors beyond CCJs, including income, employment status, deposit size, existing debts, and overall credit history.

How long does a CCJ stay on my credit file?

Six years from the date of judgment. This is a statutory period set by the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines Regulations 2005, applies irrespective of lender policy, and applies regardless of whether the debt is paid.

Can a CCJ be removed before six years?

Yes, in two circumstances. First, if the debt is paid in full within one calendar month of the judgment date, the debtor can apply for a certificate of cancellation using Form N443 (court fee £15, waivable for low income), which removes the entry entirely. Second, if the CCJ is "set aside" by the court — for example, because the debtor did not receive the original claim form or has a genuine defence — the entry is removed as though it had never been registered. Setting aside requires Form N244 and a court fee of £275 (unless fee remission applies).

What does "satisfied" mean on a CCJ?

It means the debt has been paid in full, but after the one-month cancellation window had closed. The CCJ remains on the Register and credit files for the full six years, but its status is updated to show it has been settled. The debtor can apply for a certificate of satisfaction using Form N443, with a £15 court fee.

Does paying off a CCJ remove it from my credit file?

Only if payment is made within one calendar month of the judgment date and the debtor applies for a certificate of cancellation. Payment after that one-month window changes the status to "satisfied" but does not remove the entry.

Is there a law that says lenders must decline mortgage applications with CCJs?

No. The FCA regulates mortgage lending under the MCOB rules and requires lenders to carry out affordability assessments, but it does not prescribe specific exclusions for CCJs. Each lender sets its own credit risk policies.

How does the process differ in Scotland?

Scottish decrees are registered for six years, the same as CCJs in England and Wales. The key procedural difference relates to satisfaction: in Scotland, the debtor must obtain a letter of satisfaction from the creditor or their solicitor and send it to Registry Trust with an administration fee. The court does not issue the certificate directly.

How long does it take for a satisfaction or cancellation to appear on my credit file?

Once the court issues the relevant certificate, Registry Trust notifies the credit reference agencies automatically. The update to credit files can take up to four weeks.

• A CCJ remains on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines and on credit files for six years from the date of judgment. This is a fixed statutory period that applies across the UK.
• If the debt is paid in full within one calendar month of the judgment date, the CCJ can be cancelled and fully removed by applying for a certificate of cancellation (Form N443, £15 fee).
• Payment after the one-month window does not remove the CCJ. It can be marked as "satisfied," but the entry persists for the full six years.
• The FCA does not set rules requiring lenders to decline mortgage applicants with CCJs. Each lender determines its own credit risk policy.
• Lender policies vary significantly. Published criteria from high street lenders include amount thresholds (£200 at Barclays, around £500 at HSBC for CCJs within three years) and time-based criteria (Santander declining CCJs within three months; NatWest potentially disregarding CCJs over 36 months old, subject to credit scoring).
• In most cases, according to broker sources, having a CCJ satisfied for at least 12 months expands the range of lenders prepared to consider an application.
• After six years, the CCJ is removed automatically from both the Register and credit files, and it can no longer be seen by lenders during mortgage application assessments.
• A CCJ can also be removed before six years if the court agrees to "set it aside" under Part 13 of the Civil Procedure Rules (Form N244, £275 fee), where the debtor did not receive the claim form or has a genuine defence.