Taking court action can be expensive. Depending on your income and the nature of your case you may be eligible for help with legal costs under the legal aid scheme. Legal aid is only available where there's a serious risk to you or a family member's health and safety.

If you don't qualify for legal aid and your claim could be heard in the small claims court, then you'd only have to pay a fixed fee. Small claims is one of three court routes that your case can follow. These routes are called tracks. The other tracks are the fast track and the multi-track.