Insurance claims
The Claims Handling team handle all public liability, employers liability and motor claims made against Sunderland City Council.
If you have been injured or have sustained damage to your property or vehicle and believe that the council is at fault please submit your claim using the online form below.
You will need to provide a full description of the incident that has occurred, and any damage or injury suffered. It is important that you provide the date and precise location of the incident and provide photographic evidence, for example a photograph of the defect in the road. It would also assist us in our investigations if you can mark the defect that caused the damage and your direction of travel on the photographs. The photographs can be sent by email or uploaded when completing the online form.
Property claims (including damage to vehicles)
At the initial stage of completing the form below, we do not require estimates for the repairs. If liability is accepted, you will need to provide two estimates of the value of the item and/or any work required to make good the damage. Where it is necessary for you to make an immediate repair, for example replace a tyre, please take a photograph of the damage and retain a copy of the invoice.
What happens next?
You will receive an acknowledgement of your claim within five working days. We will investigate the incident and we will inform you when our enquiries are complete or if we require any additional information from you.
Information relating to highway claims
In order to succeed with a highway claim, for example damage to a vehicle from a pot hole, you will need to prove that the council has been negligent and failed in its duty to maintain the public highway to an appropriate standard. This means proving that at the time of the incident:
- a hazardous defect existed on a highway maintained by the council, and
- the defect was the direct cause of the incident and that you have suffered loss as a result, and
- the highway had not been maintained appropriately with regard to its importance and use and was therefore dangerous
Please note that there is no automatic right to compensation and the Highways Act 1980, Section 58 provides the council with a statutory defence against claims if the council can demonstrate that it took all reasonable steps to avoid the defect from occurring by having a reasonable system of inspection and maintenance.
The council has a duty to protect public funds and we apply the statutory defence where appropriate. As a result, around 90% of these claims are rejected. For further information on the claims submitted click here
Fraudulent insurance claims
We are committed to protecting public funds. To help identify, prevent and detect fraud we may share information relating to claims with other organisations.
Insurance fraud is where someone makes a false or exaggerated claim to receive compensation. It can include claims for: personal injury, damage to property or vehicles
A claim is fraudulent when the claimant does any of the following:
- makes a false claim
- stages a claim
- deliberately exaggerates the extent of the injury or value of a claim
- uses counterfeit or forged documents as evidence in a claim
We pay for the majority of claims settlements direct from Council funds. Insurance fraud diverts our resources away from where they are needed - providing local services, such as our schools, caring for the elderly and disabled or improving our roads.
If someone deliberately provides false or misleading information in relation to an insurance claim, the police will be informed and action will be taken to prosecute and recover costs.
To report a suspected fraudulent claim, please email insurance@sunderland.gov.uk
Information for legal representatives for submitting claims against the council including maintained schools
Any claims being made via the Claims Portal should be submitted against Sunderland City Council under our Portal ID - G00048
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