A County Court Judgment does not automatically rule out asset finance, but it will narrow the field and it will influence the terms. Lenders look at how large the CCJ is, how old it is, whether it has been satisfied, and what caused it. Some funders on our panel consider cases with judgments; others will not. The decision is theirs.
What generally helps: a judgment that is several years old, one that has been satisfied, a small value, and a clear explanation of what happened — a disputed invoice, for example, reads differently from a pattern of non-payment. Evidence that the business is trading soundly now matters a great deal.
What generally makes it harder: a recent or unsatisfied judgment, a large sum, several judgments, or a CCJ sitting alongside other current problems such as missed finance payments or arrears with HMRC. In those situations you should expect a limited response, and where finance is available it is likely to require a larger deposit and to cost more than it would with a clean file.
Be upfront about it. Lenders will find it, and a case presented with the background explained tends to fare better than one where the judgment surfaces in underwriting. Our bad credit asset finance page covers this area more fully.