Mediation

In court, you can ask the judge for mediation (a meeting with a neutral person who helps you and your landlord reach an agreement). You can also ask for court-based rental assistance (money to help pay rent). Many cases end in a deal where you stay and pay over time.

In most Delaware eviction cases, the case is to be scheduled for mediation (a meeting to try to reach an agreement) after your landlord files. Mediation is scheduled between filing and trial. It must be completed at least 48 hours before the trial date.

Your landlord must give a copy of the 10 calendar day rent notice to a center paid for by the state. The center offers free mediation (a meeting where a neutral person helps you and your landlord reach an agreement).

If you schedule mediation (a meeting where a neutral person helps you and your landlord reach an agreement), your landlord must take part. It must happen within 30 days after the center contacts both of you.

You and your landlord each pay your own costs for mediation (a meeting where a neutral person helps you and your landlord reach an agreement). Those costs include lawyer fees. Your landlord may ask you to pay all the costs if you miss the mediation. The same goes if you do not keep an agreement you made in mediation. The costs then include reasonable lawyer fees.

Your landlord must send a copy of the rent notice to a state-funded mediation center. It offers free mediation (a meeting with a neutral person who helps you and your landlord reach an agreement). The mediation is for landlord-tenant matters. If you schedule mediation, your landlord must take part.

Say a mediation center schedules mediation (a meeting with a neutral person who helps you and your landlord reach an agreement) within the 10-calendar-day period. If you take part, your landlord can file the eviction case only after 20 calendar days from the day you received the notice. The 20-day wait does not apply if you fail to appear or you cancel.

You and your landlord can use free mediation to work out a payment plan instead of going to court. Mediation means a neutral person helps you and your landlord find a solution based on what matters to you both. It is confidential and voluntary. Massachusetts Community Mediation Centers offer this service for free.

Housing Specialist Department. Court staff called housing specialists work in mediation (a neutral person helps you and your landlord agree) on housing court cases. They also explain Massachusetts housing law to you. Each court division has its own number. For the Eastern division, call 617-788-6233.

Trained court staff may meet with you and your landlord to try to settle the case. Even if you are facing eviction, a settlement could give you more time to move out.

Before your hearing, the court may offer you a mediator (a neutral person who helps you and your landlord try to work out an agreement). It can be a good idea to try this first, since it may resolve things faster.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection takes complaints about a business, product, or service. If a business treats you unfairly, you can file a complaint online at attorneygeneral.gov or call 800-441-2555. The bureau tries mediation (a worker from the office contacts you and the business and tries to settle the problem). It cannot act as your own lawyer.

Some Pennsylvania cities offer eviction diversion or mediation (a meeting with a neutral person who helps you and your landlord reach an agreement). Philadelphia has such a program. Settling this way can avoid an eviction record (court papers about an eviction case). Ask your court or city hall whether a program exists where you live.

While the city runs its Eviction Diversion Program, your landlord must take part before filing an eviction case in Municipal Court. Your landlord must sign up and send you a notice of your diversion rights. Then your landlord must take part in good faith, as the city defines it, for at least 30 days. This does not apply if eviction is needed to stop an imminent threat of harm by you.

For diversion program questions, call the Eviction Diversion Tenant Hotline at 215-523-9501, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Philadelphia's Eviction Diversion Program (EDP) is a free city program. It helps renters and landlords resolve disputes and avoid court. City law requires your landlord to take part in good faith (a real effort) before seeking an eviction. Only your landlord can apply. If you owe $3,500 or less and qualify, EDP may pay your landlord what you owe plus 2 months' rent. For questions about EDP, call the EDP Tenant Hotline at 215-523-9501, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Free or low-cost mediation (a meeting with a neutral person who helps you and your landlord agree) is available before any court case starts. Dispute resolution centers across the state offer it.