Civil law: Life in the UK test revision

Civil law is the law of disputes, and housing is one of its busiest corners. A tenant whose boiler is never fixed, or a landlord trying to evict someone, ends up in a civil case, not a criminal one. Nobody is prosecuted; the court decides who is right and what should happen next.

Why it matters: Sorting examples into civil or criminal is the standard question for this section.

Memory hook: Landlord versus tenant: a civil quarrel, not a crime scene.

Official handbook: Chapter 5, section 5.5, page 82

If your employer underpays you, sacks you unfairly or treats you worse because of who you are, the remedy is a civil claim under employment law. It is about putting things right between two parties, often with compensation, rather than punishing anyone. The handbook groups it with housing, consumer rights and debt.

Why it matters: Workplace discrimination sounds criminal to many learners, but the handbook files it under civil law.

Memory hook: WUD: Wages, Unfair dismissal, Discrimination. Employment law's three worries.

Official handbook: Chapter 5, section 5.5, page 82

A washing machine floods the kitchen and the shop refuses to help. That is a consumer rights matter. It sits in civil law because it is a disagreement between you and a business over money and goods, not something the state prosecutes. Small disputes like this often go through the small claims procedure.

Why it matters: It links the civil law examples on page 82 to the small claims procedure on page 84.

Memory hook: Faulty goods, civil moods: consumer rights, not criminal fights.

Official handbook: Chapter 5, section 5.5, page 82

Owing money is not a crime in the UK, but it can still land you in court. The person you owe can bring a civil case to recover what is due. The court's job is to sort out the money, not to punish. County Courts handle exactly this kind of claim, as page 84 explains.

Why it matters: Debt is the fourth civil-law example on the handbook's list and appears in 'which of these is civil' questions.

Memory hook: Debt: a civil debt, not a criminal threat.

Official handbook: Chapter 5, section 5.5, page 82