The Public Defender of Rights (Ombudsman)

The Public Defender of Rights (Veřejný ochránce práv) is an independent national institution that investigates complaints about public authorities in Czechia. Despite the name, it is not a court and cannot give legal advice.

What the Ombudsman can investigate

• Unlawful, inactive, slow, or unresponsive conduct by public authorities.
• Discrimination by a public body or, importantly, by a housing provider.
• Failures by ministries, building offices, social security administration, municipalities acting in a public-law capacity, and similar bodies.

What the Ombudsman cannot do — common point of confusion

• It cannot intervene in ordinary private civil-law disputes between individuals, including most landlord-tenant disputes.
• It cannot overturn an authority's decision or act as an appeals body.
• It cannot give legal advice or represent you in court.

Submitting a complaint

• Complaints are free — there is no fee.
• You can write in English; the office accepts complaints by post, email, or through the online form.
• Explain what happened, which authority was involved, and what you have already tried.

Based in Brno, covering the whole country

• The Ombudsman's office is in Brno, but its jurisdiction is national — it handles complaints from anywhere in Czechia, including Prague.
• It is not a Prague-specific body, which is why it sits here in Prague Explained rather than under a single local procedure.