How to Make a Claim

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a set way of making a claim for damage caused by potholes on our roads but the steps below may help and you've nothing to lose. Based on other people's experience, the steps below have been know to result in positive action from the county council involved. It's not an exact science though. If any of our readers, or members of the council have anything to add, please feel free to contact us and let us know so the information can be made public.

Put together all the evidence you can. If safe to do so, take a photograph of the pothole and try to measure the size (if possible you can use an object beside the hole when taking the photo to give an idea of the size. e.g. a credit card or ruler). Make as many notes as possible about the pothole like where on the road it is, was it hidden etc. Make a rough sketch of where the pothole is on the road and try to be as accurate as possible as exaggerating your claim helps nobody and will most likely be thrown out. Make sure you get the name of the person you reported the hole to.Take pictures of the damage done by the hole and write down exactly what happened to it.

Report the Pothole here on potholes.ie so that others can be warned. Also report the hole to the council responsbile for the maintenance of the road. It won't look good for your claim if you haven't bothered reporting the hole.

Once you have had your car repaired, put your pictures, notes and any other evidence (including who you reported the hole to) together with the bill and send it to your local council.  We have a list of their contact details  here. Make sure you send it by registered post as you will want to have evidence that the package was delivered. Now you need to follow up on the claim and go from there.

If any of our readers have gone through this process or have gone a different route, please let us know and let us know what the outcome was. Potholes cause millions of Euro's worth of damage each year and it's very frustrating when you see the same potholes and bad roads continue to cause havoc.