The Board of Directors of the Long Island Chapter of Community Associations Institute (CAI) is excited to offer a new service to its members: mediation services to help resolve disputes in community associations.

This service is available to help resolve disputes between two homeowners within a community, a Board and a homeowner, or a Board and a vendor. This program will begin in November 2019.

What is Mediation?

Mediation is an informal process where a trained neutral person, a mediator, assists the parties in reaching a mutually acceptable resolution to their dispute by facilitating negotiations. Mediation is voluntary and non-binding, meaning that the mediator has no ability to force a settlement or make any rulings that are binding on the parties. If a settlement cannot be reached, the parties do not lose the right to a trial on the merits of the case in a court of law.

Who is Eligible for this Program?

The CAI-Long Island Dispute Resolution Program is an exclusive benefit to communities that are members of CAI-Long Island. To be eligible for the program, your community’s entire Board must be current CAI-Long Island members.

What are the Advantages of Mediation?

Mediation is quicker and less expensive than resolving disputes through litigation. A lawsuit can take months or years to resolve, while a mediated dispute may be resolved in only one session. Mediation allows the parties to come to their own resolution of the dispute rather than leaving the decision to a judge. Mediation is a private and confidential process and what is said in mediation cannot be used in any subsequent litigation. Mediation is also less stressful and adversarial than litigation, thus allowing for a more community-oriented resolution.

What is the Cost of Mediation?

The fee for participation in the program is $100 per party for two hours of mediation. This fee is non-refundable once a mediator has been assigned.

How Do I Submit My Dispute for Mediation?

Each party must submit the Mediation Request Form with the $100 per party fee to CAI-Long Island, P.O. Box 221, Commack, NY 11725. Checks should be made payable to CAI-Long Island. Once both parties’ completed forms and payments have been received, your assigned mediator will contact you to schedule the mediation session.

To learn more about this program or if you have additional questions, please contact Christine M. Majid, Chapter Executive Director of CAI-Long Island at (631) 882-8683 or info@cai-li.org.