Make a Complaint

Your complaints are important to Dublin City Council, as they help us make improvements to our services. If you are unhappy with any aspect of your dealings with us, we would like to know.

Our Complaints Procedure

You can make a formal complaint online through Citizen Hub, by contacting the Customer Complaints email or by post. You can download our official complaint form below.

What Happens Next?

Customer Services will register your complaint and submit it to the relevant department. We will also send you a formal acknowledgement of your complaint within three working days.

We expect the relevant department to issue a response to your complaint within 15 working days.

What If I'm Unhappy With the Response?

If you are not satisfied with the response, you can appeal the decision to the Executive Manager of the relevant department. You must do this within 15 working days of receiving the response. This can be submitted online through Citizen Hub or to the Customer Complaints email.

Your appeal must include:

• The original complaint reference number.
• The reason or reasons why you are appealing the response.

Customer Services will then send the appeal to the relevant department. The Executive Manager will then examine the complaint along with the response you received and make a decision on the appeal within 15 working days.

What If I'm Still Unhappy With the Decision?

We promise to do our best to resolve your complaint satisfactorily. However, if you remain unhappy with our response, you can then refer your complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman.

The Office of the Ombudsman investigates complaints from members of the public who believe they have been unfairly treated by public service providers. The Ombudsman is fair, independent and free to use.

The Ombudsman will ask for details of your complaint and a copy of Dublin City Council's final response to your complaint. This is to ensure that you made a complaint directly to us first.

You can make a complaint to the Ombudsman by:

• Filling out a ‘Make A Complaint’ form on the Ombudman's website.
• Writing to: Office of the Ombudsman, 6 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, D02 W773.
• Calling (01) 639 5600 to request a hard copy complaint form.

Complaints to the Ombudsman for Children

If you think an organisation’s actions have negatively affected a child or children, you can make a complaint through the Ombudsman for Children's website.

Equal Status Complaints

If you wish to make a complaint under The Equal Status Acts 2000-2015, go to the website of the Workplace Relations Commission.