Is your neighbor's barking dog driving you crazy? Have you and your roommates practically stopped speaking to each other because you're all angry over housekeeping issues? Are you being sued in Small Claims Court over a tenant deposit you did not return?
If these or similar issues are making you miserable, you need to try mediation. This type of problem-solving is extremely effective, and everyone involved comes away feeling satisfied with the solution. Participants meet with a trained referee, or mediator, who helps them communicate their needs and issues in a respectful and calm manner, and work out a voluntary dispute solution among themselves. The communication and discussion skills involved in mediation are useful tools for everyday issues we all run into: workplace disagreements, assignment of household chores, etc.
Unlike arbitration, where a solution is imposed on the parties by an outsider, mediation requires that the participants come up with their own workable solution and agree to it voluntarily. That way, everyone has a sense of "ownership" concerning implementation, and a feeling of responsibility for making the solution work. No one feels resentful or as if they have been forced into accepting someone else's idea of what will work.
Mediators do not serve as judge or jury, do not determine right and wrong, and do not place blame on any person. Mediators do not impose a decision on either party like a judge or arbitrator. Their only interest is in helping the parties to resolve differences and reach a mutually agreeable solution. Mediators do not provide legal advice, counseling or therapy. All negotiations and discussions that take place in mediation are confidential and all parties sign an agreement to that effect. Usually, final agreements are written out and signed by all parties, and are considered binding and enforceable.
In San Luis Obispo, we are fortunate to have a free and very effective service, Creative Mediation, that will work with parties involved in all sorts of disputes, from landlord-tenant issues to neighborhood problems, to roommate, small business, HOA, and consumer/merchant issues. Visit their website, http://www.creativemediation.net, to learn more about their services.
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