How soon must the defendant respond?
The defendant must return the Acknowledgement of Service Form to the court stating his intentions within 14 days of the effective date of service. It’s not uncommon for the defendant to fail to reply to the Claim Form within the 14 days. The defendant may feel he is without a defence, or has no assets to lose, or both. If there is no reply within the time limit, then you should ask the court to enter judgment by default.
