Claimant User Guide

Responding to a claim: defendant's options

The defendant has 14 days from the date of service of the claim to respond. The date of service is calculated to be 5 days from the date the claim is issued.

Once the defendant has received the claim, he has 5 options to respond:

• Pay the claim in full;
• Make a full admission;
• Make a part admission;
• File an acknowledgement of service;
• Defend the claim; and
• Make a counterclaim.

(With the exception of a counterclaim, there is no fee for responding to a claim.)

If the defendant chooses to ignore a claim, you can request judgment by default. This may result in an order saying that the defendant must pay the money claimed on terms specified by you.