What is civil debt?
When a person makes a claim against another person in a civil court case or a tribunal hearing (such as the Disputes Tribunal or Tenancy Tribunal) an order of payment may be made for one person (known as the debtor) to pay the other person (known as the creditor).
These Judgments or Orders usually specify a date for payment and may specify terms if paying by instalment. These payments are usually arranged privately between the parties and the Court has no further involvement. The Court usually does not receive the payments.
If the debtor fails to pay on time, the creditor can seek assistance from a solicitor, a private debt collection agency or the Court. This needs to be organised by the creditor as the Court does not automatically take steps to collect overdue civil debt.
Here you will find information about:
You can find out more information about how to make a private claim against someone in a Tribunal or Civil Court on the Ministry of Justice Tribunals Website.
