Recover debt through Court
Enforcement of civil court orders in Northern Ireland
The Enforcement of Judgments Office (EJO) is a branch within the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service and is responsible for the recovery of money, goods and property, where the court has ordered its recovery.
Register of Judgments
The EJO maintains a Register of Judgments, sometimes known as the EJO Debt Register. It records all court orders that have been sent to EJO for recovery action in the previous six years.
It also provides information about those court orders, if the court order relates to recovery of money and whether or not the amount has been paid in full.
Find out more about the EJO Debt Register.
When may the EJO be used?
A creditor (the person owed money or wants to recovery goods or property) can make a claim against a debtor (the person who owes the money, or is in possession of the goods or property) in court. A Court Judgment may then be made giving details of what is owed or to be recovered and to whom. If the debt is not paid, or the goods or property returned, the creditor may instruct EJO to enforce their court order on their behalf.
Creditors must make an application to have their court order enforced using the appropriate application forms. The creditor must pay an upfront fee to the EJO but ultimately it will be added to the debt which the debtor must pay back.
The EJO provides some help and advice documents.
How to address matters before the EJO become involved
If a court order is made stating you should return goods or property, you should immediately contact the creditor to arrange the return of the goods or property named on the court order.
If the court order is in respect of money, you should contact the creditor and make an offer to repay the debt in full or try to arrange to pay it by instalments.
How does the EJO recover debts?
The EJO will issue correspondence to you asking you to contact the office to:
- make payment in full
- discuss a repayment plan
- take information about your ability to pay the debt
If a debtor does not contact the EJO, they will begin information gathering and contact third parties, including credit companies, banks, employers and HMRC as well as other government department and agencies. They will decide how the debt can be recovered in the absence of you contacting the office. The EJO may also contact third parties to check any unverified information that is supplied by a debtor.
However, in some instances, the EJO might not be able to recover the amount owed if the debtor doesn't have income or assets to allow for an enforcement order to be made. This is called unenforceability, and the EJO will issue a notification to both the debtor and the creditor.
Find out more about enforcement orders with the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service.
Rent and mortgage arrears - repossession
The EJO is also responsible for the enforcement of land and property orders. If you're behind with your rent or mortgage payments, your landlord or mortgage lender may get a Possession Order that, if not resolved, may lead to you being evicted from your home.
This means your clothes, furniture and all other goods will be taken away by EJO and safely stored. To have your goods returned, you must pay the costs of removal and storage as advised by EJO (the costs incurred by EJO in carrying out the repossession).
Arrears on Hire Purchase Goods
The EJO is also responsible for the enforcement of court orders which relate to goods on hire purchase (such as cars, boats, or caravans). In this case, the EJO will issue an Order for the Delivery of Possession of Goods. This will be served on the person required to return the goods and the EJO will arrange for the removal and return of the goods named on the court order to the party entitled to those goods.