The Ministry of Justice launched a consultation in October 2026 on reforming the rules for entering county court judgments (CCJs) by default — the process by which a claimant obtains judgment automatically if a defendant does not respond to a claim within 14 days. The consultation follows a series of super-complaints from debt charities about the prevalence of "ghost CCJs" — judgments obtained against people who never received the claim form because it was sent to an old address.
Current rules. Under CPR Part 12, a claimant who has served a claim form can request default judgment simply by filing a request at the court if the defendant has not filed an acknowledgement of service or defence within the prescribed period. The court does not check the merits of the claim — it is a purely administrative process. The resulting CCJ affects the defendant's credit record for six years. For people who genuinely did not receive the claim (for example, because the claimant used an old address without making reasonable enquiries), the only remedy is an application to set aside the default judgment — a process that requires court attendance and carries a fee.
Proposed reforms. The consultation proposes: (1) requiring claimants to confirm they have made reasonable efforts to ensure the address for service is current before default judgment is entered; (2) an enhanced notification process for CCJ registration — currently defendants may not learn of the judgment until it appears on their credit file; and (3) a simplified, fee-free set-aside application for defendants who were not served at their correct address. The county court money claim guide explains the current process. See also the OCMC portal upgrade news item. The consultation closes on 31 January 2027.