Tenancy / Rental Mediation

How does the mediation work?  

We find a resolution away from the courtroom hallway— before all the time and money is wasted filing a lawsuit, preparing for trial, and showing up at the courthouse.

Mediation is a voluntary process in which people hire a neutral professional, the mediator, to facilitate a mutually beneficial, legally-binding resolution to their dispute. Attorneys can be involved but aren’t necessary.

Put plainly, it’s a negotiation between you and your tenant with the assistance of a professional negotiator. You control almost every decision along the way: one-on-one conversations or everyone discussing at once; a single sitting or over a period of time; by video chat/phone/email; and you craft your own resolution. You know what your interests are, so you are in control.

Potentially the biggest benefit of mediation, compared to court, is that all risk of losing at trial is eliminated. Every party, in every court case, has a chance of losing—no matter what the facts are (or how sure the attorney is in the case). The problem is, unlike high-dollar cases, trials for landlord-tenant cases last about twenty minutes. And the outcome is truly at the judge’s discretion, which very well could hinge on the current mood of the particular judge.

Why mediation online?

Today, you can go to college, work, and get married online. Every 30 seconds, over $1.2 million is generated in e-commerce. Business has gone virtual; but, until the past few years, dispute resolution has remained primarily a costly, face-to-face endeavor.

Not anymore. Landlords who take advantage of available tools, including online dispute resolution, will have the first-mover  advantage in terms of decreased costs and larger margins. 

It simply makes sense that dispute resolution, and specifically mediation, will go virtual. In fact, it’s already taking over customer service and conflict in the e-commerce world.

The process is very simple. After connecting with your online mediator, you use video chat, phone, and email. Your mediator will work through the issues with you and your tenant individually, employing tools of a trained professional. The landlord-tenant mediation is conducted entirely on your time, without having to leave your home or office.  

Why Negotiate With a Tenant Who Isn’t Paying Rent?

A tenant who is behind on paying rent is already breaching one agreement, i.e.,  the lease, so relying on them to follow through on another one brings to mind the old saying, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me,” right?

Maybe not. Statistics show that resolving a single dispute outside of  court, as opposed to going to trial, is the most business rational  choice from an economic perspective. This is due to the unpredictability of court, the time-value of money, and the sheer inefficiency of eviction courts. Extrapolate that to all of your disputes, whether you  own three rental units or 10,000, and you see a drastic decline in expenses related to dispute resolution.

How does the service work?

The meditation service is used by landlords or tenants involved in housing disputes. Court hearings usually involve additional expenses and fees, but you can now avoid these costs through mediation.

Under the mediation service, landlords and tenants work with trained neutral mediators to help you pinpoint the exact issues and work to resolve them. Agreement from all parties on the outcome is necessary. They have to feel they have reached an acceptable resolution.