Received a letter of claim?
Do not panic.
A'letter of claim' is what a creditor has to send before they can go ahead with a county court claim.
The letter of claim comes in the post and gives details of the debt.
You have 30 days to respond with the reply form they give you.
If you do not respond within 30 days, the creditor can take court action against you.
Use the reply form to:
- Respond to the creditor
- If you agree you owe the debt, fill in the enclosed financial statement
- If you cannot pay the full debt, tell them what you can afford
- Let the creditor know you are seeking debt help
- Ask for more information about the debt
You may be able to avoid court action if you can agree a repayment plan.
Identifying Northampton and other county court forms
Creditors often act against debtors in bulk.
The only place they can do this is through the County Court Judgement Bulk Processing Centre in Northampton.
This means many CCJs come from Northampton County Court, but not all.
If you receive forms in the post, check them against this list:
- The forms are usually printed on white or blue-and-white paper. They should have the form name at the top and the form number in the bottom right hand corner
- There should be four forms in total. They should have these titles:
- N1 - Claim form
- N9 - Response pack
- N9A - Admission (specified amount)
- N9B - Defence and counterclaim
- The top right corner of the N1, N9A and N9B should have:
- The court name, often Northampton County Court
- Your name
- The creditor name, and usually their account number or debt reference number
- A ‘claim number’ which identifies your case
- The N1 claim form should state what you owe. A section called ‘particulars of claim’, which explains the debt
If you do not see particulars of claim on the N1, they may have been sent separately.
If your forms meet all these points, you have received a ‘claim pack'. This means your creditor has applied for a County Court judgment (CCJ).
If your forms do not cover these points, contact the creditor or the court and ask them about it.
Note: With debts regulated by the Consumer Credit Act you must get a default notice before creditors can start court action.
Completing the county court claim forms
- You have 14 days to get the completed N9A or N9B back to the creditor
- The court allows a few extra days for the claim pack to get to you
- The exact deadline depends on which court issued the claim
- You can usually reply online if you cannot reply by post
- You can also apply for an extension using the ‘acknowledgement of service’ form
Our step-by-step video guide below explains how to complete the CCJ forms. You can also find additional information on our County Court claim process page.