Fast Track Claims

The fast route to compensation

Fast track cases are similar to small claims track cases insofar as the case is solved in a relatively short amount of time. They are also used for cases where you as the claimant are seeking to receive an award that is more than £5,000 but does not exceed £15,000. Any larger award is more likely to be complex and will take longer to resolve. When filing a fast track claim it is vital that you produce a letter to let the defendant know that they have one last chance to resolve the issue before filing the claim. This is known as a letter before action. This letter allows the defendant to pay any outstanding debts, which gives them the opportunity to resolve the issue. If they choose not to then the dispute will have to be resolved in court.

Fast track claim process

After the letter has been sent the process of the claim will begin. Firstly documents are required to be filled in in the same fashion as a small claims track. When you contact your county clerk they will provide you with a form called the N1 form. This form will provide information on yourself, the defendant, a description of the claim, the expected amount of reward you feel you deserve, a detailed account of the claim and a statement of the truth. To then process this form you will have to pay the court’s filing fees which are based on the value or your expected reward. The defendant will then be notified and have 2 weeks to respond to the claim.

Possible outcomes

The defendant may either admit they owe you money and start to make arrangements for the payments but they may also choose to ignore the claim or even dispute the fast track claim. When this happens the court will address the case in a proceeding which should not last more than a day. When the case has been resolved you will then need to file for the execution of the warrant.