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We need to see the judgment. It will arrive by post. You left it too late to submit your defence. It will be a judgment in default. You can apply to have it set aside but you are unlikely to recover the cost of setting it aside (£313) because it is your fault for not submitting a defence in time.
If you pay the CCJ within 30 days of the judgment, it will not be on your credit record, so that will likely be your best option.
Never argue with stupid people. They will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience. - Mark Twain
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You are now dealing with a default County Court Judgment dated 5 February 2026.
Because no defence was filed in time, judgment was entered automatically. The court did not consider the merits of the claim. This is purely procedural.
You now have two realistic options.
Option 1 – Pay within 30 days
If you pay the full judgment sum within 30 days of 5 February 2026, the CCJ will not be registered on your credit file. It will be treated as if it never happened for credit reporting purposes.
This is the simplest and lowest-risk route.
You must ensure payment is made in full within 30 days of the judgment date, not 30 days from the date of the latest letter. Obtain written confirmation of satisfaction from the claimant and keep proof of payment.
Given that the default arose because no defence was filed in time, this is the safest practical option.
Option 2 – Apply to set aside
You can apply to set aside the judgment using form N244. The court fee is currently £313.
There are two possible grounds for set aside:
- Mandatory set aside – if the claim was not properly served.
- Discretionary set aside – if you acted promptly and have a real prospect of successfully defending the claim.
In your case, the claim was served and you were aware of it. You simply did not file a defence in time. That means any application would fall under discretionary set aside.
The court will consider:
• Whether you acted promptly once aware of the judgment.
• Whether you have a real prospect of defending the claim.
• Whether there is some other good reason to set it aside.
The difficulty is that the delay was caused by leaving matters too late and failing to file a defence. Courts are often unsympathetic where the default is the defendant’s own procedural failure.
Even if the judgment were set aside, you would not automatically recover the £313 fee. In fact, the court may refuse to order the claimant to reimburse it because the default was your responsibility.
Financially, you would be risking £313 to challenge a judgment of £295.44, with no guarantee of success.
Practical assessment
Because the default arose from not submitting a defence in time, and because the set aside fee exceeds the judgment sum, the proportionate and commercially sensible course is to pay the judgment within 30 days to avoid credit damage.
A set aside application is only rational if:
• The claim was not properly served; or
• There is a very strong defence and you are prepared to risk the £313 fee.
If neither of those apply, paying within 30 days is the cleanest resolution.
It is a real pity that no one on FTLA provided proper, timely advice after I was banned from the forum. Had accurate procedural guidance been given there, this default judgment could likely have been avoided. By the time you located me again, the defence deadline had already passed and the judgment had been entered automatically.
I am genuinely sorry this has turned out this way for you.
At this stage, the priority is damage control. If you have any foreseeable need for credit – including a mobile phone contract, insurance application, tenancy agreement, mortgage, loan, car finance or any other product involving a credit check – the judgment must be paid in full within 30 days of 5 February 2026. If paid within that period, it will not be registered on your credit file.
If it is not paid within 30 days, it will remain on your credit record for six years. That can significantly restrict access to mainstream financial products and may result in higher costs or refusals.
Unless you have absolutely no need for credit of any kind over the next six years, payment within the 30-day window is the sensible course.
Never argue with stupid people. They will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience. - Mark Twain
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Thanks so much b789, yes bizzare whats happened on FTLA, really appreciate your help and the efforts you put in helping others ?
