LandlordBC is promoting a new service that it believes will help deal with disputes arising from people spending more time at home because of COVID-19.
Director of Member Engagement, Kimberly Coates, says the Quarantine Conflict Resolution Service (QCRS) hopes to address specific challenges for people who are sharing a living space together.
“A lot of individuals who wouldn’t normally be home at the same time are now facing conflicts with their neighbours, and conflicts between roommates,” she said on NL Newsday. “So we developed this program in partnership with MediateBC to really help people facing stress and anxiety and conflicts because of the COVID-19 crisis.”
Coates says some common disputes include noise, heavy use of shared wifi, and dirty dishes all piling up – all of which might have been minor issues when people were in and out of their homes.
She says the service will also help to settle disputes between landlords and tenants.
“So one of the things we’re encouraging landlords to do is put up signs to limit the amount of people who are able to use the laundry room at one time or limit the amount of people you want in the elevator,” she added.
“And sometimes tenants or landlords don’t necessarily understand why those restrictions are being put into place, and so they can reach out to the service and we can facilitate that conversation between people.”
Coates says Landlord BC’s Mediate First program is still available to help but she is encouraging people with COVID-19 related conflicts to use the new Quarantine Conflict Resolution Service.
And because of COVID-19, all mediation will be done virtually, either by phone, by Zoom, or other options that work for all of the parties involved.
(Photo via MediateBC)