Most adverse entries — defaults, county court judgments and insolvency events — stay on a credit file for six years from the date of the default, judgment or insolvency, then drop off automatically. You do not need to ask for removal, and paying the debt does not usually delete the record early.
That six-year rule is long established and applies across the main UK agencies, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. The detail of how a particular entry is recorded and dated can still vary, so if the exact expiry date matters to you, ask the agency holding it to confirm the position on your own file rather than relying on a general rule.
A county court judgment has a little more nuance. Once paid, it can be marked as satisfied, which lenders generally view more favourably than one left outstanding. If it is paid in full within one month of judgment it can normally be removed from the register altogether. In limited circumstances a judgment can also be set aside by the court, for example where you were never properly served. The court that issued the judgment and the Registry Trust, which maintains the register, are the right places to establish where you stand.
Ageing helps in itself. Older adverse data tends to carry less weight as newer, better conduct builds up alongside it, so a business is rarely stuck with the same profile it had two years ago. If you believe an entry is wrong, or should already have expired, raise it with the agency that holds it. CWAF cannot remove or amend anything on your file.