Real World Negotiation Analysis

Real World Negotiation Analysis

Lin Shi

BACKGROUND

With 3 other exchange students, I booked a flat on Airbnb.com as our accommodation during the 3-month exchange period at LBS. Harrison, the landlord, accepted our rental request after careful verification of our status. We signed an agreement, confirming the rental period, price and payment, etc., when we first met with Harrison before moving into the flat. He also promised to handle any broken fixture in the flat while we agreed to help apply in LBS for the student exemption of city council tax (₤240 to be paid by the property owner).

Back then, Harrison also asked us to hire a cleaner to help us keep the flat well-maintained. We rejected this request, insisting that we clean the flat by ourselves given enough people we have. So instead, Harrison agreed on doing random check-up weekly to ensure the condition of the flat. For the first several weeks, Harrison came on weekends, so we usually do the cleaning every Friday.

On Nov. 4 when all of us were having classes, the landlord unexpectedly paid a visit to the flat, only to find that the flat was a mess with nothing cleaned. And moreover, we had left the windows open, which could be dangerous for the properties inside the flat. He got furious and texted us and demanded we hire the cleaner he had appointed immediately since he thought we had broken the promise of regular cleaning.

We felt this one-sided opinion of the landlord completely unacceptable and also challenged the assessment of the cleanness of the flat when we were not present. So we asked for a face-to-face negotiation to settle this issue. Besides, we wanted to take this chance to show the broken lights in the living room and try to have him help fix them; otherwise it would be really inconvenient for us in the flat at night.

Meanwhile, the last payment of the rent (₤1,500) had not been processed successfully due to the insufficient balance on my credit card. This also added up to the tension between us and the landlord.

Before the negotiation, I discussed the strategies and reservation price with the other 3 stakeholders, presuming that Harrison would care about long-term relationship and the review we would give on Airbnb (important for soliciting future tenants) as much as he wanted to collect the rent and have us hire the cleaner. We also decided to add, in due time, additional issues such as the tax exemption application, check-out time, etc. to gain more power if the negotiation is going into unfavorable situation.

NEGOTIATION PROCESS

On the morning of Nov. 9 before the negotiation, we gave the flat a thorough clean. Emma (one of the flat mates) and I stayed for the negotiation, trying to pull the “good cop/bad cop” act (me, as usual, being the bad cop). Harrison came on time with