Making an application for compensation
There is no automatic entitlement to compensation. The duty is on the claimant to prove that we have been at fault in law, just because an incident has happened it does not necessarily mean we will be held to blame.
We recommend that you make a claim on your own insurance first (for example, home contents, buildings or motor insurance). Your insurers would then seek recovery of their outlay from us if they feel we were at fault.
Damage to vehicles
Due to the unprecedented winter storms and very heavy rainfall, we have received a significant number of applications for compensation for pothole damage to cars.
We're working as quickly as we can to review and process these applications with additional staff available to help out.
We're unable to answer individual enquiries about the stage of each application, as this slows down our response to all our other customers. Thank you for your patience.
Please accept our apologies but rest assured that we will in time get to your case.
You'll need to provide personal information and documentation to enable us to investigate and process your application.
The information you provide to us will be processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). Details of the information we hold about you and how we process it are set out in our insurance claims privacy notice.
Before you make an application for compensation
You can submit an application using the online form. You'll need an email address to complete the form. If you don't have an email address or can't complete the form yourself you can ask a friend, relative or other representative to complete it on your behalf.
If the incident resulted in personal injury and you're the claimant and are under 18 years of age (a minor) you must nominate a parent or other representative to make this application on your behalf.
If the application is for property damage, you'll be asked to provide evidence and documentation to support your request.
Please note that if you don't include this information your application can't be processed, and will be rejected:
- a copy of valid insurance certificate
- a copy of a MOT certificate (where relevant)
- photographs of any damage
- photographs of the location
- photographs of the defects on the road, pavement or public footpath
- copies of 2 independent estimates or the invoice / receipts if the repairs have already been carried out
After you've submitted your application
Your application will be logged on our system. There may be occasions when it will be necessary to forward your application for compensation to our external insurance claims handlers for consideration. This will depend on the amount involved and whether any injuries were suffered. If this is the case with your application then you will be informed.
An investigation will take place to determine whether compensation can be made to you.
Final outcome
Once an investigation has taken place the claim handlers will make a decision based on our legal liability.
If there is no liability, no offer of compensation will be made and you will be informed.
If liability is accepted, you will receive an offer of compensation with the relevant forms to sign and return.
Anti-fraud notice
We have a responsibility to its council taxpayers to ensure that all applications for compensation are legitimate. All legitimate applications are assessed individually and fairly and, only where we are to blame, will compensation be paid. We have an anti-fraud system in place with our insurers to assist them in detecting dishonest claimants and taking appropriate action.
Make an insurance claim
If you're unable to complete the form then you may ask a representative to complete the form for you.
If you do not wish to claim you can still report the defect or fault on a road or footway. This is the easiest way to report a fault.