How mediation can help with neighbour disputes
Our new mediation service
The team at LINK Mediation Services Ltd has joined us for this edition of Talk to explain how we’re working together to offer support if you experience problems with your neighbours.
“The process was a lot easier than I thought.”
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“I felt relieved”
What is mediation?
Mediation is a voluntary process that can help residents resolve issues between themselves and neighbours. The Mediator is independent (meaning they don’t work for bpha or any other agency) and impartial (meaning that they don’t take sides or apportion blame). The mediator will work with you and your neighbours to find solutions to the issues you are experiencing.
“like a weight lifted”
Why mediation?
Conflict is a common part of life when we live amongst people whose lifestyles and values are different from our own – it’s when disputes and disagreements can arise. Problems with neighbours can be disruptive and have a huge impact on our mental health and wellbeing. This is where independent mediation can help.
Mediation helps breakdown the barriers in communication between neighbours that lead to issues such as anti-social behaviour (ASB) and disruption in community relations. This often happens when someone feels they can’t approach another party themselves to discuss an issue which is concerning them.
“Less stressed and more confident”
How does it work?
A bpha Housing Officer will put in a referral to LINK Mediation if they think it could help resolve a customer’s situation.
Mediation begins with a consultation (appointment) with the mediator. This is usually by phone but can also be online or in person at your home or another location. No one is forced to meet in a room unless everyone, including the mediator, agrees.
You will be given the opportunity to share your experience of the dispute, describe the impact on you and your family, and most importantly, discuss your preferred outcome. The mediator will help identify practical solutions that might address issues with parking, bins, and boundaries, for example.
“I recognised an immediate sense of calm and was so grateful”
Mediation myth-busting
You will not be expected to sit in a room with the other party involved in your dispute.
The initial meetings with the mediator usually take place by phone. The mediator will then act as a ‘shuttle’ between parties, ensuring everyone involved always feels comfortable and ‘listened to’ during the process.
A face-to-face meeting will only take place if all the parties agree, and the mediator deems it beneficial and safe. However, many mediations do not involve ‘face to face’ meetings and still achieve positive outcomes.
The Mediators are Impartial. We do not judge or apportion blame. Our focus is solely on supporting residents finding solutions.
Most issues are suitable for mediation. LINK Mediation can help with everything from disputes over loud music, parking, bins & boundaries, to relationship breakdown and complex community disputes. We can also help when the police or Local Authority have recommended mediation. LINK is happy to work with everyone to try and find a solution to the issue, even if the problems are entrenched and historical.
The overall benefits of mediation go beyond dispute resolution - it can help create better, more healthy relationships with neighbours and landlords, increase confidence, and improve mental health.