Jakob, a private tenant, contacted the Housing Mediation Service after he realised he had been paying too much rent.
He was getting Universal Credit, a benefit that pays one amount to cover living expenses and a separate amount towards housing costs. The housing costs payment can go to a tenant or a private landlord. Jakob didn’t realise Universal Credit was paying his landlord directly so he was paying the full amount of rent each month.
Jakob was surprised to find out over £1,000 had been paid to his landlord over the last six months. He asked his landlord, Peter, to give him back the excess rent but Peter wasn’t willing to pass on the money.
He told Jakob that, because he hadn’t been looking after the property, Peter recently had to pay over £600 for repairs. Jakob disputed the amount and Peter refused to return the excess rent.
After Jakob contacted the Housing Mediation Service, a mediator contacted Peter who agreed to take part in mediation. Jakob and Peter met in person for a mediation session. The mediator arranged for an interpreter to help with the session as Jakob had limited English.
During the mediation session they talked about why the repairs were needed. Jakob acknowledged he had neglected the property. They agreed to use some of the excess rent to cover the repairs and that Peter would pay the rest to Jakob. Both tenant and landlord were happy to resolve the issue with things escalating further.
Housing Mediation Service
The free Housing Mediation Service, operated by Housing Rights, helps resolve disputes in private tenancies. The service has reached 274 positive outcomes in housing disputes since it launched in November 2019.
The service is for:
- private landlords
- private tenants
- letting agents
A mediator helps people involved in a dispute to talk and listen to each other. They try to solve the problem and do not judge.