As a tenant, I have a roommate who lives in the bottom part of the dwelling. We have a small lawn that comprises both the front and backyard. When I signed the lease, the landlord informed me that, as part of our contract, it was my responsibility to mow the lawn during the spring and summer, whereas it was the other tenant’s responsibility to shovel the snow during the winter.
On the very first winter of living in the dwelling, the tenant hardly ever shoveled her sidewalk, despite my imploring that she do so, per the landlord-tenant lease agreement. However, she refused, even when asked politely. One time, I went up to her porch, knocked on her door, and she came to the door. I politely asked her to take care of the shoveling after a snowstorm, but she refused – and even slammed the door on my face.
Immediately afterward, I called the landlord, and he made an appointment for us – including the resistant tenant – to have a meeting about shared responsibilities. The appointment, scheduled for the next weekend – went well. Apparently, she did not understand that her responsibility was part of her lease agreement. According to University Alliance (2016), conflict resolution is more effective when strategies, such as compromise and negotiation, are used during conflict resolution.
My neighbor said that she thought I was attempting to get her to do something for nothing, and that she felt harassed. She seemed forthright, and genuinely honest. From this experience, I also learned that it is very helpful to have a mediator during conflict resolution. In this way, there is more fairness, and if tempers flare, the mediator (in this case, the landlord) has the ability to prevent the meeting from getting out of hand.
Since then, the tenant has complied with her part of the deal. Moreover, she has even offered to mow the lawn a few times -- which is not her responsibility, In addition, we have even become good friends, and discovered that we have a lot of things in common, such as musical preferences, Fortunately, this conflict turned out to be a positive experience, one from which I learned the value of direct action and mediation.
Works Cited
Good Essay About Learning Through Conflict: Positive Outcomes
Type of paper: Essay
Topic: Real Estate, Tenant, Conflict, Responsibility, Landlord, Conflict Resolution, Conflict Management, Door
Pages: 2
Words: 400
Published: 03/08/2023
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