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Recover your debt through court: Possession Claim Online

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Possession Claim Online (PCOL) is an official service provided by HM Courts & Tribunals Service designed to help individuals and businesses make or respond to certain types of claims for recovering property via the internet.

Using PCOL can save businesses time and money as claims are issued, and payments can be accepted, electronically. Also you do not have to attend court to commence proceedings, and your hearing date is automatically allocated.

This guide provides all the information you need to know before using PCOL. If you are a claimant or a defendant, this guide will help you understand what PCOL is, who it is for and offers guidance on how and when to use it.

Table of Contents

Information to consider before making a Possession Claim Online claim

Issuing a possession claim should be your last resort. You should first consider other ways to settle the matter. For example, if you are owed money, you could write a letter to the person who owes it saying how much they owe, what it is for and what steps you have already taken to recover the money.

The letter should also include a warning that you will consider issuing a county court claim if they do not pay by the date you give. Sometimes this warning will encourage the debtor to pay and you will not have to go to court. You should keep a copy of the letter and any reply.

If you do decide to issue a court claim, you can download the Possession Claim Online user guide (PDF, 138K) – Opens in a new window.

Is PCOL suitable for your claim?

PCOL is suitable if:

  • your claim is brought under Section I of Part 55 of the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR), which governs the issue of electronic claim forms – read Practice Direction 55b on the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) website – Opens in a new window
  • it includes a possession claim for residential property by a landlord against a tenant, solely on the ground of arrears of rent (but not a claim for forfeiture of a lease) or a mortgagee against a mortgagor, solely on the ground of default in the payment of sums due under a mortgage
  • it does not include a claim for any other remedy except for payment of arrears of rent or money due under a mortgage, interest and costs
  • you have an address in England or Wales where documents can be delivered
  • all defendants have an address for service in England and Wales
  • the claimant is able to provide a postcode for the property to be recovered
  • you have an email address

Will you get your money back?

There is no guarantee that you will get your money back. Before you decide to go ahead with any court action, you must give serious consideration to whether you are likely to get all or some of your money.

The court may not be able to help you get your money if the individual or business you are claiming from:

  • is unemployed, bankrupt, or if the business has been wound up
  • has no money of their own, no personal property and nothing else of value belonging to them – eg a car – which is not hired or subject to a hire purchase or lease agreement
  • has ceased to trade
  • has other debts to pay

However, you may be able to get your money if you are prepared to accept small instalments over a period of time.

Who can and cannot use Possession Claim Online?

Possession Claim Online (PCOL) can be used by solicitors, government, and businesses and individuals – eg landlords and tenants – who wish to issue either:

  • a claim
  • a warrant
  • certain other processes related to possession claims

Using PCOL means you:

  • can access essential court forms online to make, issue, view and progress a possession claim electronically
  • do not have to attend court to commence proceedings
  • can issue a claim at a convenient time, in your home or office – customers are no longer restricted to court opening times
  • are automatically allocated a hearing date – the site includes postcode recognition software which ensures the case is assigned to the correct court for the property to be recovered
  • can pay your court fees by either debit or credit card and Direct Debit, significantly reducing internal administrative costs of writing individual cheques for each claim
  • can enable businesses to make savings as administrative costs by HMC&TS are reduced – the cost of issuing a claim using PCOL is £100 (£150 if issued manually)

What is PCOL suitable for?

PCOL is suitable for possession claims for arrears of rent or money due under a mortgage only – including interest and costs. It can only be used where:

  • there is an address for service on the defendant in England or Wales
  • the claimant can provide a postcode for the property to be recovered
  • the claimant has an email address

Who cannot use the PCOL service?

You cannot use PCOL if you are:

You are unable to issue a claim against:

  • a child or patient as stated above
  • the government
  • the monarchy

For more information about PCOL, you can contact the HMC&TS Customer Help Desk on Tel 0845 601 5935. This helpdesk is open Monday to Friday, between 08.45 and 17.00. Alternatively, you can find court information and contact details on the HM Courts and Tribunals Service website – Opens in a new window.

Is Possession Claim Online secure?

Because some of the information you provide online for a claim can be of a sensitive nature, Possession Claim Online (PCOL) uses an encrypted, secure website and will give you a unique user ID and password. However, you should note that any emails you send or receive cannot be regarded as secure.

You will need to register with PCOL before you can issue a claim online. By registering, you will be accepting HM Courts & Tribunals Service’s (HMC&TS’) Privacy Policy. Read HMC&TS’ Privacy Policy on the HMC&TS website – Opens in a new window.

Once you have registered, you will be asked to choose a user ID and password. Both your ID and password must be no less than eight and no more than 12 characters long and be a combination of letters and numbers that you are likely to remember.

User names and passwords are case sensitive, so you will need to ensure that you make a careful note of them for future reference.

PCOL will also ask you to choose a security question and answer when you are registering in case you ever forget your password. If you answer the security question correctly, the system will email you your password.

However, you must remember your user ID, as this cannot be retrieved in any way – if you forget it, you will not be able to access any claim record online under that ID. If you have lost your user ID, you will need to contact the HMC&TS Helpdesk.

Staff at the helpdesk will also be able to answer any questions you may have about this service. You can contact the HMCS Customer Help Desk on Tel 0845 601 5935, or on Fax 0845 601 5889. This helpdesk is open Monday to Friday, between 08.45 and 17.00. Alternatively, you can email them at MCOL@hmcts.gsi.gov.uk.

If you do not want your claim to go through a centralised process, you can always start proceedings through your local county court. For more information on how to do this, see our related guide on how to recover debt through court.

How to use Possession Claim Online

Before you start making a Possession Claim Online (PCOL) claim, you need to have:

If you are unable to supply a full postcode for the defendant you will have to issue your claim at your local county court.

More detailed information about using the PCOL service, including hardware and software requirements, is available in our user guide. Download the PCOL user guide (PDF, 138K) – Opens in a new window.

If you have any doubts as to whether your case is viable or valid, seek independent legal advice before proceeding. Remember you may be liable for your opponent’s costs if your action is unsuccessful.

For those who do not wish to use the electronic PCOL service, claims can be issued though your local county court. For more information, see the page on how to make a court claim in our guide on how to recover debt through court.

You can find contact details for your local county court on the HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMC&TS) website – Opens in a new window.

Fees for using PCOL

You incur the cost of processing the request as soon as you submit your request for the issue of a claim or warrant to HMC&TS.

All claims received are processed upon receipt, so it is not possible for the court to stop a claim from being issued once it has been submitted online, and any refund of fees is entirely at the discretion of the Court Manager.

For full details of fees for issue of process, find information on Civil and Family Court Fees on the HMC&TS website – Opens in a new window.

You will be asked to pay by debit or credit card, or if you are a regular service user, you may be eligible to pay by Direct Debit.

Start using Possession Claim Online.

Civil Procedure Rules Practice Direction

Read about the Civil Procedure Practice Direction 55b on the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) website – Opens in a new window.

Start using Possession Claim Online

Could this article be better? Are details incorrect? Do you have something to contribute or a relevant article we can link to?

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Every effort has been made by the author(s) to ensure this article’s accuracy but it does not constitute legal advice tailored to your circumstances. If you act on it, you acknowledge that you do so at your own risk. We cannot assume responsibility and do not accept liability for any damage or loss which may arise as a result of your reliance upon it.

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