County Court Judgment (CCJ) Impact on Your Mortgage 2026

It is harder, but not impossible. High-street lenders are generally the most cautious about any CCJ, particularly one that is unsatisfied (unpaid) or recent. Specialist and adverse-credit mortgage lenders exist specifically to lend to people with a CCJ, an IVA, or missed payments in their history, though typically at a higher interest rate and requiring a larger deposit than a mainstream mortgage.

If you pay a CCJ in full within one month (30 days) of the judgment date, you can apply to the court to have it removed entirely from the public Register of Judgments — as if it never happened. This is one of the most valuable pieces of information for anyone who has just received a CCJ and wants to protect their ability to get a mortgage.

The CCJ stays on the public register and your credit file for six years from the judgment date, even if you pay it in full later — though a late payment (after 30 days but before six years) is recorded as 'satisfied', which looks considerably better to lenders than an unsatisfied (unpaid) CCJ, even though it remains visible for the full six years.

Significantly. Most lenders treat a satisfied CCJ (one you have paid, even after the 30-day window) as a materially lower risk than an unsatisfied one, since it shows the debt has been resolved. Some mainstream lenders will consider an application with an old, small, satisfied CCJ, while an unsatisfied CCJ of any size is far more likely to result in an automatic decline from high-street lenders.

Six years from the date of the judgment, regardless of whether or when it is later paid (unless removed within the 30-day window described above). After six years, the CCJ automatically drops off your credit file and the public Register of Judgments.

No. Mainstream, high-street lenders typically have strict policies that automatically decline any application showing a CCJ, especially if unsatisfied or recent. Specialist adverse-credit lenders and some challenger banks have more flexible, manual underwriting that considers the size, age, and satisfaction status of a CCJ alongside your overall financial position, income, and deposit size.

Yes, generally. A small CCJ (for example, under £500) that has been satisfied is treated far more leniently by most lenders that will consider CCJs at all, compared with a large, unsatisfied CCJ. Some specialist lenders publish explicit criteria — for example, accepting up to a certain number of satisfied CCJs below a certain total value, provided they are a set number of months old.

Yes, strongly advisable. A broker experienced in adverse credit cases will know which specific lenders are most likely to accept your particular circumstances (the age, size, and satisfaction status of your CCJ, alongside your deposit and income), potentially saving you from a wasted, hard-search mortgage application to an unsuitable mainstream lender that would simply be declined.

Often yes. Specialist lenders that accept applicants with a CCJ typically require a larger deposit — commonly 15-25% rather than the 5-10% available to applicants with a clean credit history — to offset the perceived higher risk, alongside a somewhat higher interest rate than the best mainstream deals.