Rural Conflict Avoidance Process (Rural CAP) Service

What is the Rural Conflict Avoidance Process Service?

The Rural Conflict Avoidance Process (Rural CAP) service is designed by RICS in response to the Rock Review recommendations. Rural CAP helps parties to address emerging disagreements and resolve disputes in the rural property sector proactively. It offers a quicker, more cost-effective, and collaborative approach than formal legal proceedings, helping stakeholders to manage and resolve issues early on, thus preventing the strain on finances and business relationships.

The service works by the introduction of an Impartial Professional Person who will provide parties with a non-binding recommendation on how to resolve the issue they’re arguing about.

Rural CAP fosters a cooperative environment for landlords, tenants, owner-occupiers, family members, and business partners. The appointed Impartial Professional Person works with the parties to define the issues, understand each other's positions, and move towards a resolution. The process is flexible and can be adapted to suit the needs of the parties involved.

What are the benefits of Rural CAP?

• Proactive dispute resolution: Tackles emerging issues early, preventing formal litigation proceedings.
• Control and ownership: Parties retain control of the dispute and make informed decisions, determining the outcome that best suits their circumstances.
• Cost-effective: Clear cost structure from the start, often significantly less than the costs associated with litigation.
• Timely: The process is quicker than litigation, with timetables agreed between the impartial professional and the parties.
• Flexible: The process can be adapted to meet the specific priorities of the parties involved.