Mediation in landlord-tenant disputes is fairly informal. More likely than not, the mediator will have you and your landlord sit down together. Each side is usually asked to discuss all issues they consider important—even emotional ones.
This process of airing the entire dispute often cools people off considerably and can lay the foundation for a fairly quick compromise.
If the dispute is not resolved easily, the mediator may suggest ways to resolve the problem, or may even keep everyone talking long enough to realize that the real problem goes deeper than the one being mediated.
Typically this is helped along through a process called caucusing, in which each side occupies a separate, private room, with the mediator shuttling back and forth with offers and counteroffers. When settlement appears near, everyone gets back together and the mediator helps guide the parties to an agreement everyone approves.
Conflicts between landlord tenants may include the following:
Tenant
Disputes about rent payments, security deposits
Threat of eviction
Repairs going unaddressed
Breach of lease agreement terms
Landlord
Rent payment missed or late
Communication problems
Disruptive behavior
Pet issues
Damage
Benefits of Mediation Services for Landlord-Tennant Disputes
Mediations are private, confidential meetings between parties involved in a dispute, with an unbiased mediator who assists them in working through differences to find an effective solution that all parties accept.
Mediation can help tenants in avoiding eviction, develop a reasonable move-out plan, or develop an agreement to have other problems resolved.
Mediation can find effective solutions to landlords experiencing problems with their tenants. Mediation will save a landlord’s time, money, and headache instead of going through the hassle of court.
Conclusion
Landlord-tenant mediation services provide an opportunity for both parties to come together and resolve their dispute in a confidential, safe, and neutral setting.
Metropolitan Mediation Services can help landlords and tenants mediate their disputes so that all parties walk away feeling heard and respected. If you are experiencing a landlord-tenant dispute, please do not hesitate to contact us today. We would be happy to help you come to a resolution as soon as possible.
