England and Wales
England and Wales does not have a separate small claims court. Low-value cases, including most non-personal injury cases up to £5,000, will usually be assigned to the small claims track, producing a small claims action in the County Court. These cases are heard by district judges under an informal procedure.
The separate small claims procedure was first introduced for claims up to £75 in 1973. This flowed from the statutory power of judges to order arbitration. The limit was raised to £1,000 in 1991, £3,000 in 1996 and £5,000 in 1999. As of 2011 consultation is underway on raising the limit to £15,000. It should be noted that the limit is only a guideline. The court may allocate a case to the small claim track where the claim is over the guideline if it is considered that the case is simple enough that it is an appropriate way of disposing of the matter.
Read more about this topic: Small Claims Court
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