Resolving Tenancy and Landlord-Tenant Disputes Without Court

Your landlord is holding your deposit with no good reason. Or your tenant is months behind on rent and won't leave. Tenancy disputes are among the most common disputes anyone will face, and they share a frustrating feature: the amount at stake rarely justifies the cost and years of a rent-control or civil case, so one side simply runs out the clock on the other. Mediation breaks that deadlock — fast, cheap, and with a binding result. ## Why tenancy disputes arise Landlord-tenant disputes cluster around a few recurring flashpoints. Security deposits are the most common — a tenant moves out and the landlord withholds all or part of the deposit, citing damage the tenant disputes. Rent arrears and non-payment generate the next largest share. Eviction and possession disputes arise when a tenancy ends and one side won't accept it. Repairs, maintenance obligations, and disagreements over lease terms fill out the rest. What these disputes share is a mismatch between the stakes and the cost of formal resolution. Rent-control and civil tenancy proceedings in India are slow — often running for years — which is wholly disproportionate to a deposit dispute or a few months' arrears. That is precisely why tenancy disputes are so well suited to mediation: the facts are usually simple, the sum is defined, and both sides usually want it over with. ## Which ADR process fits tenancy disputes **Conciliation** offers a more directive alternative where the parties want a neutral who can actively propose terms. For most tenancy disputes, mediation delivers in days or weeks what a rent-control case would take years to achieve — and produces an equally enforceable result. ## Is the outcome binding and enforceable? ## Cost and time ## How to start **For a deposit or arrears dispute:** either party can propose mediation by writing to the other. If both agree, they jointly appoint a mediator, often through an accredited mediation centre offering low-cost mediation for smaller disputes. **If you live abroad and let out property in India:** online mediation under the Mediation Act, 2023 lets you resolve the dispute by video conference without travelling. The NRI audience guide covers this route. If the matter has already reached a rent-control court or civil court, Section 89 of the Code of Civil Procedure allows the court to refer it to mediation. If you are an individual dealing with a tenancy dispute for the first time, the Individuals audience guide explains how to pursue or defend a deposit or tenancy claim without a lawyer.