Claims against City of Newcastle

You can make a claim for compensation if you believe that we are legally responsible for personal injury or loss or damage to your property.

How to make a claim

• Consider if you are eligible for compensation; you may wish to seek legal advice. We are not able to provide legal advice.
• If you have insurance, you should contact your insurer first. If they believe we are at fault they will contact us.
• Gather your evidence. You will need to substantiate the damage, loss, or injury that we are responsible for. Evidence might include quotes, photos, videos, medical documents, reports, or witness statements.
• Submit your claim online.

Submit your claim

What is your claim related to?

Why we may not be responsible to pay compensation

• We are complying with our statutory duties and responsibilities under relevant legislation the NSW Civil Liability Act 2002
• You can't prove City of Newcastle was legally responsible for your loss.
• You haven't supplied enough evidence to substantiate your loss.
• The loss or damage was caused by an act of nature, such as a wind or storm which was beyond our control.
• The damage was caused by a tree shedding. This is considered a natural event, and beyond our control.
• The damage was caused by tree roots and we were not previously aware of the problem. You can > report a public tree that is causing damage here.
• The incident occurred on a road we do not manage, such as arterial or private access road
• The damage, loss or injury was caused by a contractor acting on behalf of us, e.g., roadworks, or park maintenance. These claims should be submitted directly to the contractor.
• The incident was caused by infrastructure belonging to utility companies, such as Telstra, Optus, NBN, water, power or gas companies. These claims should be submitted directly to the relevant company.
• The responsibility for maintenance of your property lies with the property owner. Private property owners are responsible for the maintenance of stormwater systems, gutters, downpipes, gully pits, and other parts of drainage systems.

What happens next

• Submit the claim online
• You will receive an acknowledgement email that will confirm claim receipt and will also explain how your claim will be managed.
• We or our independent claims managers may need to contact you if we need more information.
• Your claim will be assessed on a Without Prejudice basis.
• You will be advised of the outcome of your claim in writing.
• Assessing a claim for compensation is a complex process and relies on the information and evidence you provide. We respond to claims as quickly as possible and thank you for your cooperation and patience.

There are specific rules for certain claim types:

Submit your claim

What is your claim related to?