Details of the proposed mediation scheme will seek to give tenants and landlords a platform to discuss and resolve issues in an attempt to avoid evictions.

free to use for landlords and tenants, the scheme will be a neutral, third party using trained mediators, independent from HM Courts and Tribunals Service.

The MHCLG has claimed this new government mediation scheme could be quicker than a full court hearing.

In a statement it added: ”Society of Mediators aims to conduct mediation remotely within 10 days of referral. If mediation is successful, the court will then be informed and the case closed. While mediation may help you avoid a full court hearing, it will not delay your ongoing court process. You must continue to comply with all court directions.”

The mediation will be conducted remotely, by telephone, and the ministry says one or both parties may nonetheless want to have legal advice.

Then, following one or more meditation sessions, “if mediation succeeds and you are happy with the proposed solution, you will sign an agreement, which will be put in front of a judge for approval. The agreement will explain what actions each party must take next.”

It continues: “You can apply to the court to enforce the agreement if it is broken by the other party. If mediation is unsuccessful, the case will continue to the substantive hearing. The court will not be told about anything that was said during the mediation and the process will proceed as normal.”

The government mediation pilot has already garnered provisional backing from the NRLA ( National Residential Landlords Association).

You can find more information on the announcement and explanation of the mediation scheme here.