Old ccj - declare or not?

Jamanji

Sorry if this is in the wrong section...

I have an old ccj (8 years old now), it doesn't appear on any of my credit reports and it doesn't show when I search for it on the county court website thing, I don't have any paperwork for it. It was for about a grand, and have never paid anything towards it, never had an attachment of earnings, never heard anything else after the ccj was handed down by the court.

Now I am looking at applying for a mortgage (my credit history apart from the ccj is clean with good examples of well managed credit eg. credit card paid back in full each month, contract mobile phone, and am registered to vote at current address); I know its morally wrong to not pay it back and all that but if I don't disclose it, theres no way the mortgage provider can find out is there?

I would have no details to give to my potential mortgage provider, cannot trace this ccj myself, if I did tell them about it most likely it would all just be a huge hassle plus leave me at risk of being refused/given rubbish lending rate. I know officially I should tell them but....??

Hoploz

I don't understand. Was the ccj genuinely your own debt? How come you say you have no information on it and could not trace it. Surely you know who you owe the money to?

Jamanji

It was when I was younger (and much stupider - the age old story of getting into debt and burying head in the sand), it was a credit card and I can't remember the credit card provider and now have no documentation from that long ago. But yes it was my debt, and no I have no idea who the money is owed to.

Pixie5740

Your credit file only shows your last 6 years of credit history and this is what you're referenced on. Your CCJ is now 8 years old so it's gone, disappeared into the ether. You don't have to declare it.

Malmo

Just be aware of the legalities around the enforcement of CCJs after 6 years. The debt itself doesn't simply disappear after this time.

If a CCJ is more than six years old from the date of judgement, then the debt itself is still enforceable even if the CCJ drops off from reports produced by Credit Reference Agencies. However, if the creditor wants to enforce the debt after 6 years (by using bailiffs or High Court Enforcement Officers), then they must first obtain a court order.

betmunch

Pixie5740 wrote: »

You don't have to declare it.

This is wrong.


It depends on what question the lender asks. If they ask have you ever...... then yes you have to declare it.


If you are asked in the last 6 years have you had...... then you don't.


Its about picking the right lender for the situation. Also, there are plenty of lenders that will ask have you ever, but wont penalise you for it if its over 6 years, they just want to know.

Pixie5740

You learn something new every day. I thought it was just (ha ha just) bankruptcy that lenders asked about.

betmunch

Some ask nothing, relying just on what they see on the credit file, others are very specific asking 7 or 8 questions on the matter.

Jamanji

But if I just said I didn't have any, theres no way they could know otherwise, am I right, as its past 6 years old?

zarf2007

betmunch wrote: »

Some ask nothing, relying just on what they see on the credit file, others are very specific asking 7 or 8 questions on the matter.

But why volunteer it if they have no way of seeing it? It's an example where being honest will only go against you....OP I'd say nothing, after all these are hardly upstanding institutions you are deceiving....should someone once convicted of a crime which is now spent and no longer on their record declare it forever?

Generali

Jamanji wrote: »

But if I just said I didn't have any, theres no way they could know otherwise, am I right, as its past 6 years old?

It depends on how dodgy you are, frankly. If the bank asks you a question on a mortgage application and you lie then you are committing fraud. Better to find a bank that asks questions that are more helpful to your situation IMHO but it's up to you really.