A default notice will clearly state at the top of “This is a default notice served under section 87(1) of the Consumer Credit Act”.

There are several other important points that must be listed:

• The type of credit agreement
• The terms of the agreement which have been broken
• The action that is required to prevent the account from defaulting, this is usually to pay off all arrears by a certain date
• What action the creditor intends to take if this is not done. For instance, pass the debt to a collection agency or proceed with court action

We recommend you seek advice from us if you have trouble paying your debts, and you should not ignore a default notice. It is unlikely you will need to contact a solicitor or trading standards.

If you have a money judgment from a Northern Ireland court, the creditor can apply for permission to enforce the debts through other UK courts.

This means that if you move elsewhere in the UK, the creditor can still use court enforcement. There is a fee to do this, and this will be added to the total you owe.

These types of enforcement may differ and you should look under the England and Wales or Scotland section of the InfoCentre for more information.

As well as the creditor, the judgment will be recorded on your file with credit reference agencies for six years.

It will also appear on the Public Register of Debtors for six years. This is public information which may be checked by anyone contacting the Enforcement of Judgments Office.

If you have a money judgment, you should contact the creditor to make payment.

If a ‘Notice of Intention to Enforce a Money Judgment’ has been issued, you should still contact the creditor.

If a ‘Custody Warrant’ has been issued, all further payments should be made to the Enforcement of Judgments Office, making cheques or postal orders payable to ‘EJO’.