CCJs, credit records, and bailiffs — separating ignorance & fear from reality - Printable Version +- Private Parking Ticket Legal Advice (PPTLA) (https://pptla.uk) +-- Forum: Forum advice & announcements (https://pptla.uk/forumdisplay.php?fid=7) +--- Forum: Forum advice & announcements (https://pptla.uk/forumdisplay.php?fid=8) +--- Thread: CCJs, credit records, and bailiffs — separating ignorance & fear from reality (/showthread.php?tid=4)

CCJs, credit records, and bailiffs — separating ignorance & fear from reality - danny - 01-06-2026 CCJs, credit records, and bailiffs — separating fear from reality One of the main reasons people pay private parking charges is fear of a County Court Judgment (CCJ) or bailiffs turning up at their door. That fear is almost always misplaced. Private parking companies and their debt collectors rely heavily on public misunderstanding of how the court system actually works. This thread explains the reality, plainly and without drama. Following the advice here does not put you at risk of a CCJ People often worry that by challenging a private parking charge or defending a claim they are “risking a CCJ”. That is not how the system works. Even in the very rare situation where: a parking company issues a county court claim, and the claim goes all the way to a hearing, and the motorist loses there is still no danger to your credit record, provided the court-ordered amount is paid within one calendar month. If payment is made within that time: no CCJ is registered nothing appears on any credit file there is no lasting record In practical terms, it is as if the judgment never existed. This is why challenging unfair charges is not “risky”. The real risk lies in paying without understanding. A CCJ does not happen “out of the blue” A CCJ can only exist if all of the following happen: a court claim is issued judgment is entered (either by default or after a hearing) the judgment remains unpaid for more than 30 days Anything short of that means no CCJ. Debt recovery letters, threats of court, or even the issue of a claim form do not affect your credit record. Why bailiffs are mentioned at all Bailiffs are only mentioned here because many low-hanging fruit wrongly believe that: a debt recovery letter allows bailiffs to attend unpaid parking charges automatically lead to enforcement credit damage happens before court None of that is true. Bailiffs can only ever be instructed if: a CCJ exists, and that CCJ has been ignored, and enforcement is specifically applied for Without an unpaid CCJ, bailiffs have no lawful role whatsoever. Why bailiffs are almost never relevant in parking cases Even where a CCJ exists and is unpaid, bailiffs are still uncommon in private parking cases. For typical parking amounts: anything under roughly £600 is usually not worth pursuing through County Court bailiffs the cost and effort outweighs the return This is why the bailiff threat exists mainly as psychological pressure, not as a realistic outcome. The “Don’t Pay, We’ll Take It Away” effect Many people’s fear of bailiffs comes from television programmes such as Don’t Pay, We’ll Take It Away, which follow High Court Enforcement Officers dealing with large, serious debts under High Court warrants. That has nothing to do with private parking charges. Some debt recovery firms exploit this fear deliberately. One of the most obvious examples is DCBL, whose High Court enforcement arm featured heavily in that programme. DCBL now uses similar branding and wording in ordinary debt recovery letters, even though those letters: carry no enforcement power do not involve the High Court do not permit bailiff action This branding is designed to frighten low-hanging fruit into paying out of ignorance. The reality When people follow the advice on this forum: many charges are cancelled early many claims are discontinued some are struck out a very small number reach a hearing Even in that last category, there is still no credit risk if the judgment is dealt with properly. Understanding this removes the fear that keeps the private parking industry profitable. Bottom line Challenging a private parking charge does not endanger your credit record. Defending a claim does not create a CCJ. Bailiffs are irrelevant unless a court judgment is ignored. The people who pay are almost always those who act from fear rather than knowledge — the low-hanging fruit on the gullible tree. This forum exists to make sure you are not one of them.