With an eviction action pending, a tenant and landlord were both willing to try mediation. The landlord had initiated the eviction proceedings when he discovered a second family had moved into the apartment. In the mediation, the landlord learned the whole story. Most importantly, that the tenant was not trying to deceive him or “pull the wool over his eyes.” The tenant was an immigrant mother and had offered to share her housing with relatives—her cousin’s daughter, son-in-law, and infant—who themselves were facing homelessness. When the landlord realized the situation, he reconsidered his position…and the parties renegotiated a new lease. Mediation outcome: Tenancy preserved and the crisis of homelessness prevented.
