Landlord and Tenant
There are many ways to resolve landlord and tenant disputes. The first step is an attempt to resolve the issue(s) yourself, landlord and tenant, without involving anyone else. If this has been tried and has not worked, you may want the help of an impartial third party, a mediator to assist. Remember, both of you will need to agree on the mediator. Mediation is voluntary, less time consuming and less costly than court.
Some options:
If you belong to a Strata:
- Ask to attend a strata council meeting. This will let your council know what is going on and gives you an opportunity to discuss the problem.
- Request a Strata Council Hearing. The Strata Property Act provides owners or tenants an opportunity to be heard in person.
- If the dispute involves bylaws or rules that have not been adhered to, there may be an opportunity for a voluntary process with a dispute resolution committee. Check your Strata bylaws for information on the dispute resolution processes available.
If your issues are still not resolved, the Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) may be a next step. The CRT is an online tribunal for resolving strata and small claims disputes. Check their website to learn what disputes they are able to help with.
School Conflicts – Student to Student
Conflicts between students are a normal part of campus life either inside or outside the classroom. The resolution of conflicts between peers is an important part of school life.
Mediation helps. Often the school has somebody on staff that can help. On rare occasions, an impartial and objective conflict resolution professional is brought in to help with the process and recommend appropriate strategies to prevent repeat scenarios.
Neighbour
Neighbour disputes can become very stressful and challenging when not resolved. Any disputes relating to your home and property needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later, in order to avoid escalated tension.
From noise complaints to bordering fences or issues regarding trees and hedges, if the dispute is not resolved it may lead to more stress and headaches unless there is a mutually agreeable solution.
If you are trying your best to reason with your neighbour and nothing seems to be working, mediation is worth a try. Mediation is less expensive and quicker than taking legal action. It can also help preserve a decent neighbourly relationship.
How does it work?
The mediator meets with each party first, in a pre-mediation meeting, to learn about what’s going on from each perspective. After these meetings are completed, the mediator brings all parties together to facilitate an informal discussion with all involved. The mediator assists the parties in resolving their conflict using specialized communication and negotiation techniques. All parties are active participants in the process.
Mediation is:
- Confidential
- Affordable
- Within the control of the parties
- Successful in approximately 80% of all cases
- A way to preserve business and personal relationships
- One way to get what works best for you and everyon else involved
Feel free to contact me for more information about Community Mediation and how it can help you and your situation.
Process:
Each individual directly involved in the conflict meets with the mediator, separately and privately, to tell their side of the story. The mediator listens to each participant’s perspective and narrative. After the pre-mediation meetings have all taken place, the participants are brought together in a joint meeting, the mediation, to figure out how things can be settled or in the very least, managed. All this is accomplished by the mediator facilitating discussions to explore the issues, encourage open and honest dialogue and helping participants create options for a resolution that works for all involved. Any and all agreements or end results are those of the participants.
