4 Court allocation

　　Once a court receives a claim it will allocate the case to one of three 'tracks' for a hearing.

　　(a) Small claim track

　　This is used for claims of no more than £5,000 (although for claims relating to personal injuries and housing disrepair the limit is £1,000).

　　Parties can consent to use the small claims track if the value of the claim exceeds the limits but this has to be subject to the court's approval.

　　(b) Fast track

　　This provides a streamlined procedure for the holding of moderately-valued cover of more than £5,000 less than £15,000.

　　(c) Multi track

　　The multi-track is intended to provide a flexible regime for the handling of the higher value, more complex claims, that is those with a value of more than £15,000.

　　Broadly speaking the County Courts hear small claims and fast track cases whilst multi track cases are heard in the High Court.