Housing Stability Digest

As a college town, Bellingham’s rental landscape is often intertwined with the flow of students in and out of the city, and centered around the annual school schedule. Whether you are a student, a housing provider, or a non-student renter, you’ve likely experienced the rush in pre-leasing and lease renewals leading up to the beginning of the school year. The college-town rental experience is nuanced, and can leave plenty of room for conflict to arise between renters and housing providers, or between roommates and housemates. With 54% of homes/units occupied by renters (far above the national and state averages), these factors impact a majority of households in Bellingham.

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This March the WDRC’s Housing Stability team was invited to present about our work at the Northwest Dispute Resolution Conference, held at the University of Washington School of Law. The panel, “Housing Stability Mediation Program Design & Implementation” aimed to share how our program serves clients who are experiencing a housing-related dispute, and what mutually beneficial outcomes can be achieved.

But what does it actually look like to resolve a housing dispute amicably? We dive into the data in this iteration of the Housing Stability Digest.

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It can come as a surprise when you receive a request to mediate a housing dispute! Perhaps you have been experiencing some increasing conflict with your tenant or landlord. Maybe you were aware that the issues existed, but caught off guard when they requested to mediate. It’s possible that you didn’t even know a conflict existed, much less that it had risen to the level of needing intervention. Rest assured – you are not alone! Our staff understands, and we have lots of helpful information to guide you through the process of deciding whether mediation is right for you and your situation.

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Whether you live in a single family home, an apartment complex, a condo or townhouse, mobile home park, or in an alternative living situation -- you can almost guarantee that you will interact with neighbors, housemates, or roommates at some point. So what happens when you find yourself in conflict with someone you live with or near? Read on for helpful tips.

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A new season is right around the corner with many incoming students and all sorts of housing transitions. It’s a great time – for both renters and housing providers – to think proactively about building positive relationships - for new and for ongoing situations. Conflict and miscommunications are natural and to be expected, so how can you lay the groundwork now to smoothly navigate these challenges later?

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Welcome to the WDRC’s Housing Stability blog, where we explore housing topics relevant to renters, landlords, and all community members from the lens of conflict intervention and prevention. This inaugural post is an introduction to our Housing Stability program, and how mediation might be helpful to you as a renter, landlord, neighbor, or other housing professional or advocate.

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