How to tell if a debt is time barred or not ?

Buzby

Only Registry Trust - who are the outsourced firm that compile the Court CCJs, Inhibitions and similar paperwork, and who supply this info to CRA's for a fee will have the definitive data on any action. A CRA my have Mis-applied or not added the data to your file, so no evidence does not mean it does not exist unless it is RT who tells you.

A DCA would only be alerted that you paid off and old debt by comparing old and new files on your account - which means depends on how good their data mining software is. On balance, I'd suggest this to be a minor risk. Do remember only CCJs can be avoided by paying in full after the action. A CRA will retain it, showing the status changing from owed to settled.

To your last points, it is safer if you pay the court within 21 days, and finally, for an action to succeed it would have to be served on you at your current address. If this was unknown, then by advertising on the 'walls of court' or local press. Watch out for an service to your 'last known address' if you moved frequently. You would have to show that your current address was listed on CRA files and that they failed due diligence.

fatbelly

cornwall81 wrote: »

Trouble is I also have 2 mobile phone bills outstanding, which only amount to 200 quid.
Now if i was to pay these off as they are only a couple of years old would this alert the DCA as they also are chasing the big one ???

If it's the same DCA then it probably would.

cornwall81 wrote: »

Also am I right in thinking if they wanted to take me to court for a CCJ and it was granted then I would have 28 days to pay it off for it not to register ???

How would I know if they were actually taking me to court ???
Would the court send me a letter to tell me the DCA's intentions ???

Yes, 28 days. You would first get a court claim form - often from Northampton Court as that's a bulk centre.