Preserve Strong Communities with Housing Mediation

Deborah, a landlord in Chicago, and Chris, her tenant, were referred to CCR for mediation of an eviction case.

During initial statements to begin the mediation, Deborah immediately led with her positive impressions of Chris. She described him as a model tenant, who was happy to clean common areas or help with repairs as needed. She was also extremely sympathetic to his circumstances. Chris had fallen behind when he lost his job due to post-COVID job cuts, and he had additional financial difficulty due to recent family emergencies. This was Deborah’s first time in decades of owning this property that she ever had to file for an eviction, and she was loathe to do so. However, her mortgage was expensive, and as a recent retiree, the building was her main source of ongoing income. Chris had been in arrears for a year when Deborah filed the case, and for nearly eighteen months by the time of the mediation.

Chris was also very sympathetic to Deborah’s situation. He was very appreciative of her patience with him as he looked for new steady work. Despite circumstances that were outside of his control, he still felt shame at having put Deborah in the position of needing to file a court case to seek relief. Chris was determined to work with Deborah to make an agreement, and to work hard to pay off his debt as soon as he could. It was clear from the outset that the parties came into mediation with an excellent relationship that they hoped to maintain, and very active and healthy communication.

Chris had some technical difficulty with participating in the Zoom mediation, as he was in a private place at work. The mediator checked in with both parties to make sure they still felt that the mediation could be productive. Both were glad to proceed, and Deborah cited the fact that Chris was participating from work as evidence that he was both determined to get the situation resolved. Both parties were patient with one another through these technical difficulties.

Both Chris and Deborah agreed that they wanted to participate in a rental assistance program so that Chris could repay the entire amount owed and remain in the unit. However, at the time of the mediation, there had not yet been a determination as to whether rental assistance had been awarded. The mediator asked the parties how they might like to resolve the situation if rental assistance were not approved for any reason. Chris proposed that he could definitely make ongoing rent payments as well as a little extra amount, and would pay back as much as he could until he had paid off his entire debt. Deborah was willing to accept a payment plan to cover half of the amount owed as long as Chris could make regular payments, and as long as rental assistance, if awarded, would cover the entire amount.

Based on the minimum amount Chris was able to offer, it would take nearly five years for him to pay the debt. The mediator asked Deborah if she felt that it would be okay to wait that long, and Deborah had no complaints about that timeline because she trusted that Chris was determined to make the payments. Chris was also determined to earn enough money to pay more than the minimum and finish the payment plan faster than would have under the minimum agreed amount. The parties left the mediation satisfied with their agreement and ready to continue their relationship moving forward.