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Claim to DfI Roads for pothole damage (Northern Ireland)
Northern Ireland · in English
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For a driver, motorcyclist or cyclist in Northern Ireland whose vehicle was damaged by a pothole or other road defect. The letter tells DfI Roads, the Department for Infrastructure’s roads service, when and where it happened, the damage and the cost, holds the Department liable for the road’s condition and asks for its inspection and repair records. nidirect explains the free claim route; this letter goes with your evidence. If the claim is refused, the next step is the county court.
- Made for use in Northern Ireland
- Last updated October 29, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- You hit a pothole on a road in Northern Ireland and burst a tyre.
- A deep hole in the road bent your wheel rim and the garage bill is high.
- Your bike was damaged when you rode into a broken drain cover on the road.
- You want DfI Roads to pay for the damage the pothole caused.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Your full name
- Your address (flat, house number and street)
- Town or city
- Your postcode
- Date
- DfI Roads Claims Unit's name and address, as nidirect gives it
- Date of the incident
- Time it happened (for example 8:15am)
- Location
- Make and model
- Vehicle registration number (number plate)
- What happened, and the pothole's exact position, width and depth
- The damage and each cost (repairs, tyres, recovery)
- Amount
- Attachments
Common questions
- Who pays for pothole damage on a road in Northern Ireland — the council or DfI?
- The Department for Infrastructure: DfI Roads looks after Northern Ireland’s public roads, and its Claims Unit handles claims for vehicle damage. Councils in Northern Ireland do not maintain roads, so a claim sent to the council goes nowhere. nidirect explains how to claim free; report the pothole there too, so that it is recorded and repaired.
- What evidence does DfI Roads want with a vehicle damage claim?
- Photographs of the defect, with something showing its width and depth, and of where it is; the date, time and exact place; photographs of the damage; repair invoices or two quotes; and witnesses’ details. nidirect also lists a copy of the vehicle test certificate, the first page of the V5C log book and the date your vehicle tax runs out. DfI checks its inspection and repair records for the road, which is why this letter asks for them.
- How long does a DfI pothole claim take, and what if it is refused?
- nidirect gives about four months as the average time to decide a vehicle damage claim. If DfI refuses and you disagree, you can bring a claim in the county court; claims of £5,000 or less are heard as small claims by a district judge. The time limit for a damage claim is six years (Article 4 of the Limitation (Northern Ireland) Order 1989), but evidence is best gathered at once.
How you can sign this document
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