Help Topics

Use the search bar below for answers
to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
and useful Help Topics.

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Our fees

How to make payments to Registry Trust Limited

Payments online can be made by debit/credit card or Paypal.

If you wish to pay by cheque/postal order, the search request will need to be sent by post. Please note that you will only receive your report once the cheque has been cashed. Cheques/postal orders should be made payable to Registry Trust Limited and sent to:

Customer Services
Registry Trust
153 – 157 Cleveland Street
London
W1T 6QW

If you are an account customer and wish to make a payment by bank transfer, please contact customer services 020 7380 0133.

Why search the Registers?

You are about to apply for credit

Before you apply for credit, search the information held on the Registers is up to date. Are records correctly registered as paid? Have records you didn't know about been sent to an old address?

You have been refused credit

If a lender has turned you down, search the Registers to see if that explains why.

You wish to check the information on the registers is up to date

You may have paid what you owed - but have either you or the claimant told anyone? Make sure your record is up to date. For further information on updating the Registers please see ‘satisfying/cancelling a record’.

You have just moved house

A few months after moving house, search to make sure there are no records issued to your old address without your knowledge.

You are a tenant or landlord

If you're a tenant about to hand over a deposit, you can search whether the landlord has been taken to court. Or if you're a landlord taking on a new tenant, you search whether they've had money problems or trouble paying their bills before.

You are thinking about employing a tradesperson or other business

Companies can often find people to give them a good reference. It's how often things go wrong you want to know about. Use the registers to see whether the company or tradesperson you're dealing with has a history of court records.

You are working with a new company

Ensure your customers and suppliers pay their bills and deliver their goods before agreeing to work with them.

You are about to hire a new employee

Your interviewee might have a great CV and references; the Registers can help ensure you make a more informed decision.

What's included on the search report?

Exact matches

Exact matches are returned if the searched details you have provided are identical to a record(s) held on the Registers’.

Possible matches

TrustOnline is an automated way to search the Registers. To provide complete results, we sometimes include records that, although not identical, are very similar in name to the details searched. If any register shows a slight variation in the name (i.e. spelling or just an initial), the result will list this as 'possible'.

It is your responsibility to determine whether any record in the search result, relates to the name searched.

Unsatisfied records

Records on the Registers’ that are not fully paid, are unsatisfied records.

Please note that a discharge from bankruptcy does not affect any records on the Register; the records will remain for six years.

Satisfied records

Records on the Registers’ that are paid in full and where the defendant has supplied proof of payment to the court (for England and Wales records) or Registry Trust (for other regional records), are satisfied records.

Nothing registered

A ‘nothing registered’ result is returned, when the records held on the Registers’ do not match the details submitted in the search request.

Nothing registered can mean that either:

  • There are no records registered against the details provided in the search request
  • The details searched are not accurate i.e. the incorrect address was searched   

When a ‘nothing registered’ result has been returned, the search fee is applicable, as a search of the Registers has been conducted.

Registry Trust search results

I've not received my search report, what should I do?

For pay-as-you-go customers, the search report will be emailed as a PDF attachment to the email address supplied by you. If you use a spam filter, please amend the settings to accept emails from info@trustonline.org.uk to be sure you receive your report.

If you continue to experience problems, please contact Customer Services on 020 7380 0133.

I am having problems downloading/viewing my PDF search report, what should I do?

There could be several causes for this. Firstly, make sure you do not have a popup blocker enabled on your browser. Secondly, there can be a conflict if Adobe Acrobat Standard (not Adobe Reader) is installed on your computer. If Adobe Standard is installed, go to the 'Internet' sub-category in the Preferences window and check that 'Display PDF in browser' is enabled.

If you continue to experience problems, please contact Customer Services on 020 7380 0133

How can I get my search result certified?

A certified copy of any judgment, order or fine appearing on the Register for England & Wales can be provided, upon request, for a further fee of £10.00. Please send a cheque/postal order made payable to ‘Registry Trust Ltd’ by post to:

Registry Trust Ltd
153 - 157 Cleveland Street
London
W1T 6QW

Information about the Registers Reset filtered results

The registers explained

What is a defendant, defender or debtor?

The person who owes the money.

What is a claimant, plaintiff, applicant or pursuer?

The person the money is owed to.

How long are records kept on the Registers?

All records are kept on the Registers for a period of six-years from their date of judgment, except for England & Wales Magistrates Courts Fines defaults which are kept for five years from the date of conviction.

Judgments and decrees paid within one calendar month can be removed from the Register. Where the judgment or decree is paid outside one calendar month, the judgment will be marked as ‘satisfied’ but will remain on the Register for the six-years.

What happens to incomplete information?

Information may not be registered or used by credit reference agencies if it is incomplete or fails to meet the tests of the data protection laws.

It is important for all defendants to be clearly identified by forename and surname to avoid confusion between people with similar names at the same address.

Who is responsible for the information on the record?

In the first place: the claimant, plaintiff, pursuer or applicant. Defendants have an opportunity to correct it when the claim is received.  If advice is required when filling out an application, claimants can contact the court staff for support.

Which possession orders appear on the Register?

There are a variety of orders that a judge can make in a possession hearing. For more details, click through to the Gov.uk website here.

The only orders reflected on the Register of Judgments, Orders and Fines are those where a money judgment is attached to the possession order.  These orders will appear on the Register once the action has been taken to enforce payment of the monetary award.

Additional Information Reset filtered results

Credit reference agencies

Is Registry Trust responsible for information held by the credit reference agencies?

No. We cannot be held responsible for information held by credit reference agencies, as we have no control over privately maintained records.

Who are the credit reference agencies?

There are three agencies that purchase consumer information and eight agencies that purchase information about businesses. You will find their e-mail details on our useful links page. 

Consumer – Credit Reference Agencies
  • TransUnion
  • Equifax Plc
  • Experian Ltd
Commercial – Credit Reference Agencies
  • TransUnion
  • Creditsafe
  • Dun & Bradstreet Ltd
  • Equifax Plc
  • Experian Ltd
  • Graydon UK Ltd
  • CIDS
  • Business Pro
  • Vision-net

Bankruptcies & sequestrations

Where can I find information about bankruptcies, debt relief orders and voluntary arrangements?

The Insolvency Service is required to maintain registers of bankruptcies, debt relief orders and voluntary arrangements, keep them up-to-date and make them available to the public. The Individual Insolvency Register can be found at www.insolvencydirect.bis.gov.uk.

Where do I find information on Scottish Insolvencies and Protected Trust Deeds?

You can find the Scottish Register of Insolvencies on the website of the Accountant in Bankruptcy www.aib.gov.uk/bankruptcy.

If I have been discharged from bankruptcy or sequestrations, will my judgments/decrees be cancelled/satisfied on the register?

Judgments included in a bankruptcy/sequestration will remain on the Registers for the statutory six-years unless they are paid in full and will then be marked as “satisfied”.  Judgments/decrees are only cancelled on the Register if they are paid in full within one calendar month.  For more details regarding satisfying/cancelling a judgment/decree please visit the Satisfying or cancelling a record section.

Useful links?

Credit Reference Agencies who hold data on individuals
Credit Reference Agencies who hold data on businesses
Debt and fraud advice