If you owe a company money and do not pay it on time, a company has a right to request a County Court to issue a judgement.
A debt of a few pounds or a few thousand pounds may be ruled to be paid back at only a few pounds a month or immediately.
Once paid in full the client can apply to the court for a Certificate of Satisfaction. Some mortgage lenders insist on seeing this before agreeing to an offer of loan, although 'satisfaction' may be noted on the credit file.