Costs Order
An order made by the court requiring one party to pay the legal costs of another. In civil proceedings, the general rule is that costs follow the event (the loser pays the winner's costs). The court has discretion as to the amount and timing of costs.
Independent editorial summary — not the official statute text. Read the official version on legislation.gov.uk.
The Civil Procedure Rules give the court discretion over whether costs are payable, how much, and when, but set out a starting point: 'the general rule is that the unsuccessful party will be ordered to pay the costs of the successful party', although the court may make a different order depending on the circumstances.
That general rule is deliberately switched off for most small claims. Under CPR rule 27.14, the court may not order a party to pay a sum to another party for costs, fees and expenses in a small claims track case, except for a limited list of items such as fixed issue costs, court fees, travel expenses, and — where a party has behaved unreasonably — costs the court specifically assesses and awards for that unreasonable conduct.
Related terms
Official sources
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