Customer Charter 2025 - 2028

This charter explains the level of service you can expect when dealing with our department. Our Customer Action Plan sets this out in more detail.

Our department’s mission is to support sustainable communities, democratic local governance, and environmental stewardship through housing, planning, water services, and climate monitoring. We are committed to public service reform and continuous improvement.

We provide services across:

• Housing policy and delivery
• Local government support
• Planning and building regulations
• Water services and environmental protection
• Community development
• Climate and weather monitoring (via Met Éireann)

Our customers include:

• Members of the public
• Elected representatives
• Local authorities
• Government departments and agencies
• NGOs and community groups

Our Department operates from several offices including:

• Custom House, Dublin
• Newtown Road, Wexford
• Government Offices, Ballina
• Met Éireann, Glasnevin

We work in partnership with local authorities, approved housing bodies, and other public service entities.

We are committed to delivering courteous, timely, and accessible services.

Our approach is guided by the 12 Principles of Quality Customer Service, including equality, physical access, timeliness, consultation, and bilingual service provision.

We uphold the following principles:

• Quality service standards
• Equality and diversity
• Physical and digital accessibility
• Clear and timely information
• Courtesy and responsiveness
• Transparent complaints processes
• Consultation and evaluation
• Irish language services
• Internal customer support
• Coordinated service delivery

When you engage with us, we will:

• Treat you with respect, fairness, and courtesy
• Respond to queries within 15 working days
• Provide clear, jargon-free communication
• We will use clear, simple language in our communications as much as possible.
• We will ensure our website is kept updated and accessible.
• Direct you to the appropriate body if your query falls outside our remit
• Offer services in Irish and English, in line with the Official Languages Act 2003
• Provide clear information on our complaints procedure

We welcome your comments, compliments, and complaints. Your feedback helps us improve our services and better meet your needs.

To ask a question, make a comment or give a compliment please email us at qcsofficer@housing.gov.ie or write to us at Quality Customer Service, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Custom House, Dublin, D01 W6X0.

We actively share updates on social channels and invite those sending us private messages to email us directly with their queries or comments.

If you wish to make a complaint about the quality of customer service, we have a complaints procedure to ensure we deal with your complaint properly, fairly and impartially.

We will acknowledge your complaint within five working days and respond within 15 working days. If this is not possible, we will advise when a full response will be issued. This procedure does not cover administrative decisions taken by the department.

To help us to keep improving our service please:

• provide full and accurate information
• treat our staff with courtesy and respect

Our Access Officers are the point of contact for people with disabilities and can assist with queries or access needs. We ensure that our offices and services are accessible to people with disabilities.

We are committed to protecting your personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Your information will be handled securely, lawfully, and transparently.

Visit the contact us part of our website to get details for the various sections of our department.