The provisions in the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 which will provide free mediation services by the Private Residential Tenancies Board (PRTB) has commenced.

The PRTB was established as an independent body under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 to operate a national tenancy registration system and to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants. A party referring a dispute to the PRTB may choose to have their dispute resolved by either mediation or adjudication. The PRTB received a total of 3,910 applications for dispute resolution in 2015.

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Currently a fee of €25 is charged to applicants when applying to have their dispute resolved by the PRTB and the fee is €15 where the application is made online. The new provisions introduced in the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2015 provide that the PRTB may not charge a fee where a party chooses to have their dispute resolved by mediation. The PRTB may continue to charge a fee for resolving disputes by adjudication but the resolution of a dispute by mediation will be free of charge.

Environment Minister Alan Kelly said: "Mediation saves time and money for landlords and tenants alike. It is respectful, non-adversarial and highly successful in achieving mutually agreeable resolutions to disputes. The introduction of these provisions builds on the rent stability measures already introduced by me in December, by giving tenants free access to a key dispute resolution process. It will encourage parties to refer their case to mediation rather than the more adversarial option of adjudication."

(CD/LM)