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5702A. Residential eviction diversion program.
(a) (1) Not later than April 27, 2024, the Justice of the Peace Court or the Court’s designee shall establish a residential eviction diversion program to facilitate post-filing eviction dispute resolution between landlords and tenants, which must include all of the following:
a. An initial mediation conference between a landlord and tenant to facilitate an agreement for asserted rental agreement violations or nonpayment of rent.
b. A designated United States Housing and Urban Development certified housing counselor or other representative approved by the Justice of the Peace Court or the Court’s designee for the tenant that does all of the following:
1. Participates in the initial mediation conference.
2. Engages with the tenant before the initial mediation conference to educate and discuss available resources.
c. Any other dispute resolution methods established under the residential eviction diversion program.
(2) The Justice of the Peace Court or the Court’s designee may limit or otherwise modify the scope of services provided by the residential eviction diversion program to ensure that the cost of the program does not exceed the funding allocated to the program and to ensure that the number of staff required to run the program does not exceed the number of staff available.
(b) In designing and implementing the residential eviction diversion program, the Justice of the Peace Court or the Court’s designee may be guided by the Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program established by the Superior Court under Superior Court Administrative Directive 2013-2 and any subsequent changes made by Superior Court.