When a disagreement between landlords and tenants escalates, a legal proceeding is often the first tool property owners reach for.
A mediation program at the Conflict Resolution Center-St. Louis offers an alternative.
“The practice in St. Louis has always been just file [for eviction]. Someone hasn't paid so you just file — and that's what landlords are used to,” said Sheila Webster, outreach manager at the Conflict Resolution Center.
Webster maintains that mediation is a better alternative for both parties. Eviction hearings are often financially taxing for property owners. For tenants, an eviction on their record can hurt their chances for future housing.
Heather Thurman is a tenant who recently went through the free mediation service offered by the Conflict Resolution Center. She said that she and her landlord both went in with charged feelings, but that the center’s mediator was able to redirect the conversation away from vitriol and into a productive exchange about solutions.
“It was like magnets that were opposing each other,” Thurman recalled. “So, to get us to both come to an agreement on what to pay, and both get us to sign it, I mean that was pretty spectacular in itself.”
When successful, mediation is intended to be a mutually beneficial process. Isaiah Di Lorenzo, a landlord in South City, said this nonlegal alternative is a compelling first choice because it avoids costly legal fees and the potential “catastrophe” of a family ending up in the street.
“Judges aren't given much leeway or many tools to resolve conflict in my experience,” he said.
Di Lorenzo added that when he used the mediation service with his tenants, he found comfort in the mediator’s neutral and dispassionate approach.
“It helps to take some of the air out of the conversations and conflicts, to find out what really is the problem and what can be worked out,” he said. “What might be a matter of bruised feelings, or resentments, or feelings of disrespect, those are real, but they're not always productive.”
Cat Straubinger, the center’s mediation and education manager, has mediated hundreds of sessions between landlords and tenants. She explained that her role is to ensure both parties are heard as they work to rectify the situation.
“A lot of times, when we talk about that balance of power, the person who's feeling powerless, all of a sudden comes away with skills that they're able to use for other issues, even other parts of their life,” Staubinger said.
Landlords overseeing multiple large properties are more likely to spend money on legal proceedings instead of dedicating time to a mediation session, Di Lorenzo said.
Still, he said mediation should be a mandatory first option for all landlords: “[For] the vast majority of cases, there's lots of middle ground.”
For now, a partnership between the center and the St. Louis City Circuit Court allows tenants and landlords to pause their legal hearing and work out a solution with a mediator.
”It has really made a big difference for a lot of our households in the city of St. Louis,” Webster said.
To learn more about how a conflict mediation program helps landlords and tenants in St. Louis solve disputes, listen to the full St. Louis on the Air conversation on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or by clicking the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Ulaa Kuziez is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
