{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/civil-procedure-rules-1998/rule-55.32",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/civil-procedure-rules-1998/rule-55.32.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1998/3132",
  "legislation_title": "The Civil Procedure Rules 1998",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/civil-procedure-rules-1998",
  "path": "rule/55.32",
  "kind": "rule",
  "number": "55.32",
  "heading": "Starting the claim",
  "text": "(1) In the County Court—\n(a) the claimant may make the claim at any County Court hearing centre, unless paragraph (2) applies or an enactment provides otherwise;\n(b) the claim is to be issued by the hearing centre where the claim is made; and\n(c) if that hearing centre does not serve the address where the dwelling is situated, the claim is to be sent, after issue, to the hearing centre serving that address.\n(Practice Direction 55A includes further direction in respect of claims which are not made at the County Court hearing centre which serves the address where the dwelling is situated.)\n(2) The claim may be started in the High Court if the claimant files with their claim form a certificate stating the reasons for bringing the claim in that court verified by a statement of truth ....\n(3) The claim form and form of defence sent with it must be in the forms specified in Practice Direction 55A.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Pt. 55 inserted (15.10.2001) by The Civil Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2001 (S.I. 2001/256), rule 1(d), Sch. 1 (with rule 31)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Pt. 55 Section 4 inserted (1.12.2022) by The Civil Procedure (Amendment No. 2) Rules 2022 (S.I. 2022/783), rules 1(2), 22(2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in rule 55.32(2) omitted (1.10.2023 immediately after S.I. 2023/572 comes into force) by virtue of The Civil Procedure (Amendment No. 3) Rules 2023 (S.I. 2023/788), rules 1(1), 25(2)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/3132/rule/55.32",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T11:12:59.276840+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}