Settlement conference program for landlords and tenants
Whether you are a tenant renting your home and having trouble paying rent, or you are a landlord with a tenant who's struggling to keep up, a Fast-Track Facilitation (or Landlord and Tenant Settlement Conference) might be able to help you agree on a plan together. The program is free, and all communication can be completed over the phone or online. You can participate even if you already have an eviction case filed in court.
This program does not provide any direct financial assistance, but there are programs that may be able to provide you with money to pay rent.
Before you apply
- Both the tenant and the landlord (the parties) must agree to participate.
- If you have a pending court case, request a facilitation at least 15-20 days before your next court date to allow time for the facilitation to be completed. Otherwise you may have to request a continuance from the court.
- You can only do this once. Only one facilitation between you and your landlord is allowed under this program. If you are a landlord, you can have only one facilitation per tenant.
How to request a facilitation
You can request a facilitation whether you are the tenant or the landlord.
1. Go to public.courts.in.gov/ftf
2. Click the button to "Create New Facilitation Request"
3. Complete the form by selecting a location, adding the landlord and tenant information, and explaining the situation
4. If an eviction case has already been filed, include the case number
Start a new facilitation request
What happens next?
After your request is submitted, the system will automatically:
- Send you a confirmation email that includes contact information for our program staff
- Send the other party an email inviting them to participate in a settlement conference, which they can do by following the instructions in the message
If the other party doesn't respond by opting in or opting out, our program staff will contact the other party using the information you provided in the request to
follow up.
What to expect from the facilitation
If both the landlord and tenant agree to participate, a facilitator (neutral helper) will be assigned to work with everyone to talk about solutions everyone can agree to. The facilitator's role is to support a fair conversation between both parties and provide guidance or information to help the discussion. The facilitator may not represent either party or provide legal advice. The facilitator will work directly with you to schedule the settlement conference. Facilitators may be registered Indiana mediators, senior judges, or attorneys.
Parties should expect to:
- Understand that the settlement conference may take place over Zoom or telephone, or be held in person if agreed to by all involved
- Review tips for participating in a remote conference. These tips are written for participating in a court hearing, but the same tips apply to facilitated settlement
conferences - Have the proper documents and information available to discuss during the conference (see below)
- Attend the settlement conference on the date and time scheduled
- Communicate with the facilitator and the other party to see if the issues can be resolved before filing a court case (or before the next court hearing)
- If a court case has already been filed, agree that the facilitator will e-file with the court any settlement agreement reached
Questions about this program can be sent to ltsettlementconference@courts.in.gov.
Spread the word! Print or share to social media a flyer (PDF format) (JPG format) to inform landlords and tenants about this statewide program.
More information can be found at courts.in.gov/housing.
