Landlords and tenants are being encouraged to utilise the dispute resolution services of the Rent Assessment Board (RAB) within the Ministry of Housing, Urban Renewal, Environment and Climate Change.

“The purpose of the RAB is to serve as an unbiased party in settling disputes between tenants and landlords as guided by the Rent Restriction Act. I want to encourage landlords and tenants who are having a dispute to contact the Rent Assessment Board. We are a quasi-judicial body and that means the Board has both judicial hearings (twice per month) and mediation sessions for landlords and tenants in dispute,” Director in the Rent Service Unit, Shenese Williams-Headlam, told JIS News.

Mrs.Williams-Headlam noted that common causes of disputes between landlords and tenants include failure to pay rent on time; keeping pets against the rules of the rental agreement; reimbursement of security deposits; proper notice to quit; engaging in criminal activities on the rental property; illegal increases in rent fees; shared utilities, and tenants subletting.

“Since the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we have received complaints, some of which include illegal increases in rent and noncompliance with COVID-19 guidelines among persons living in shared facilities,” she noted.

Mrs. Williams-Headlam explained that based on the gravity of a complaint, mediation is often the first means of dispute resolution.

“Persons choosing to use the dispute resolution services of the Board can be confident in a nonbiased and timely resolution. Any order that is made by the RAB at its tribunal is within the same jurisdiction of a parish court, so I am encouraging persons to utilise the services of the RAB. This in turn can also help to reduce the backlog of court cases across the judicial system,” she said.