Small Claims Track

Making a small claim

A small claims track is the more moderate action which involves the county court dealing with disputes which cannot be resolved by any other way. When all other methods have been exhausted in attempting to resolve the case a small claims track is often used as the last resort. A small claims track is also the track used when the award you are seeking does not exceed £5,000 and should resolve your case when other methods have failed.

Although a small claims track is usually allocated for cases where the expected compensation is no more than £5,000, it is also used for cases that involve no monetary reward and instead an action is requested. It is important to know that if you are seeking an award that is in excess of £5,000 and use a small claims track that you cannot split the claim into two separate cases to claim more money. If you use this track you must expect to receive no more that £5,000, so if you are seeking a larger reward you should use a different claims track such as fast track or a multi track.

The small claims court

A small claims court can be used to process many different types of cases to resolve various issues. These issues typically include grievances between debt collectors, tenants and landlords and this claim is usually the best method to resolve the issue. Small claims track is also most appropriate to resolve disputes related to contractual agreements and any unsettled issue associated with rendered services.

You cannot make a claim in a small claims court unless you are 18 years or older. Anyone younger is only permitted to make a claim in this court if they are looking to resolve a dispute involving wages and this can only be done with a parent or guardian to represent them during the court hearings.

So resolving an issue using the small claims court is a method available to many people including businesses. You have to visit your county clerk to file the claim and then fill out specific forms relating to the type of your claim. The process is relatively straightforward and is a common method in resolving smaller issues.