How to Answer: Have you ever had to mediate between a property owner and a tenant?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for an Apartment Leasing Agent job interview.
15. Have you ever had to mediate between a property owner and a tenant?
How to Answer
Performing a mediation will involve listening to all disputing parties and facilitating an agreement with which all parties can agree. A successful negotiation is one where everyone compromises, and not one party walks away with exactly what they want. Assure the hiring authority that you will be able to handle a dispute between a property owner and a tenant with utmost poise and professionalism.
Written by Rachelle Enns on December 30th, 2019
Entry Level
"As a person new to my career, I have yet to mediate between two parties in a workplace setting. With that said, I am a fantastic negotiator and debater. I have taken classes around debate and psychology and fully believe that I could deploy that knowledge when it comes to mediating a dispute between a property owner and a tenant. I also plan to learn from those senior to me, ensuring that I use language that calms the situation while doing the best I can for both parties."
Written by Rachelle Enns
Answer Example
"I have had to mediate many times between a property owner and a tenant. Recently I had a tenant who felt they deserved their entire $1500 damage deposit returned upon move out. Our agency and the property owner, disagreed. The tenant had an unapproved pet, and they failed to do a final cleaning, as outlined in their rental agreement. We wanted to deduct the $500 pet fee as well as the $500 cleaning fee for a return of only $500. I initiated a phone call that was initially heated; however, I was able to help all parties see the others' viewpoints. In the end, we compromised and returned $800, just over half of the initial deposit."
Written by Rachelle Enns on December 30th, 2019