California Debt Collection Blog

In California, how can a creditor add costs to the amount owing on a judgment? The answer is as follows: Within two years after the recoverable "costs" have been incurred, but before the judgment is fully satisfied, a judgment creditor may claim certain costs by filing a Memorandum of Costs with the court and serving the Memorandum of Costs on the judgment debtor. The following type of costs can be added to the judgment (see CCP 685.070(a)): 1. Statutory fees for preparing, issuing, recording, and indexing an abstract of judgment or a certified ...

In California, a judgment creditor is entitled to reasonable and necessary costs of enforcing a judgment. See CCP 685.040. However, attorneys’ fees are not included in the recoverable cost of enforcing a judgment unless otherwise provided by law. See CCP 685.040. Attorneys’ fees incurred in enforcing a judgment are recoverable as costs if the underlying judgment includes an award for fees authorized by contract under CCP 1033.5(a)(10)(A). This also applies to assignees of the judgment. In other words, ordinarily a judgment creditor in California cannot add ...

When California judgments are renewed, creditors must be careful to preserve any judgment liens against real property in California. Renewing a judgment extends for 10 years a judgment lien on real property created pursuant to the judgment (i.e., an Abstract of Judgment) provided that, before expiration of the judgment lien, a certified copy of the renewal application is recorded with the county recorder where the property subject to the lien is located. See CCP 683.180(a). If the creditor does not extend the judgment lien, the creditor may ...