Lately I have been encountering a number of landlord-tenant cases while mediating at the Circuit Court of Cook County.  Mediation can be particularly useful in situations where the people involved have an ongoing relationship.  If a tenant wants to stay at their apartment, he or she will have to continue to deal with the landlord.  The same is true when a landlord wants to keep a tenant.  If the parties want to avoid litigation, mediation might be the answer.  Mediation can also be used in situations where there is not a claim under the law, but the parties still have a dispute.

Even if the landlord and tenant want to go their separate ways, it can still be in their best interest to have resolved their conflict peaceably.  The tenant may worry about the landlord's reference when finding a new apartment.  The landlord may worry that the tenant will post negative things on the internet.  Both sides may want a forum that helps them move forward.