Neighbour Disputes

Mediation Service

How can a dispute be resolved without going to court?

Only a small percentage of neighbour disputes end up in court . Most can be solved by other means such as ‘mediation’.

Please contact :

South Ayrshire Mediation Service
Telephone : 01292 294063
Email: Geraldine.McGivern@newtonprimary.south-ayrshire.gov.uk

The Mediation Service
The aim of the service is to assist householders who are in dispute to reach an amicable agreement, which will enable them to continue to live in relative peace and quiet with their neighbours.

Our trained mediators are impartial and do not take sides, nor do they tell you how to solve your difficulties.

The mediation service is totally confidential and will be offered to neighbours in dispute when at least one of the parties involved is a tenant of South (or East) Ayrshire Council.

Mediation May be Suitable if:-

• You and your neighbour want to resolve the dispute.
• The dispute is fairly recent
• The issues in dispute are within you and your neighbour’s control
• No formal criminal charges have been made
• No legal action is being taken in relation to the dispute

What are the benefits of mediation?

• You have the power to resolve a dispute before it escalates
• You can reach an agreement with your neighbour whereby you both benefit
• By reaching an agreement you and your neighbour can continue to live in peace and quiet
• The agreement you reach, is decided by you and your neighbour, the mediators just help you to reach it
• You have nothing to lose by agreeing to mediation

If you are a council tenant, in dispute with a neighbour you may wish to consider mediation (Your neighbour does not have to be a council tenant, but at least one of the parties in dispute must be a council tenant). Contact your Housing Assistant at your local housing office. If we decide your case is suitable for mediation, we will pass it to two trained impartial mediators, who will take over the from the housing office and go through the following stages with you :-

Home Visit
The mediators will visit you and your neighbour separatelyat home or other suitable place. During the visit the mediators will listen to you to you to hear what your issues are with your neighbour and how you feel about them. They will also explain how the mediation service works and answer any questions you may have.

Communicating with your Neighbour
If you, your neighbour and the mediators agree, a ‘face-to-face’ mediation session with your neighbour will be arranged, which will be held in a venue neutral to both of you. The venue will usually be local to both of you and easy to get to.

Sometimes one mediation session will be enough to resolve your issues, however if more sessions are required this will be arranged, if the mediators agree.

If you don’t want to meet ‘face-to-face’ with your neighbour you will be offered ‘shuttle mediation’, which follows a similar process.

However, you and your neighbour will be in separate rooms and the mediators communicate between you.

Remember
At the end of the mediation process, we don’t expect you and your neighbour to suddenly become best friends, just good neighbours!