Tristan’s Landlord-Tenant Law Blog
You Will Not Want To Miss AASEW's Fourth Annual Landlord Boot Camp on Saturday Feb. 25th
Landlording can be pretty complex, with a seemingly never ending myriad of paperwork, rules, landlord-tenant laws and simple mistakes that can cost you thousands of dollars.The Apartment Association of Southeastern Wisconsin's Fourth Annual “Landlord Boot Camp” can help you navigate these treacherous waters and teach you how to run your properties with greater profit and less hassles.I have given similar landlord-tenant law seminars to fellow attorneys, landlords, and property manager ...
Landlords May Want To Pursue Tenants for Holdover Damages As Well As Other Damages
After a landlord has had her rental property returned through an eviction action or the tenant vacating of their own accord, a landlord has the option of pursuing the ex-tenant for money damages. I have explained in previous posts, that a typical eviction lawsuit includes three causes of actions against the tenant. First, return of the rental property ("eviction"). Second, a claim for past due rent and other fees allowed under the ...
Small Claims Jurisdictional Limit Increased To $10,000
Wisconsin's small claims jurisdictional limit was increased from $5,000 to $10,000 effective July 1, 2011. This increase was included in Governor Walker's 2011-2013 Budget Bill.The jurisidictional limit for small claims in Wisconsin was set at $5,000 back in 1995 and has remained the same for 16 years.I see this as a positive change for debt collectors and potentially landlords. All eviction actions -- regardless of the amount of rent owed -- ...
Must A Landlord Actually Repair Tenant-Caused Damage Before The Landlord Can Deduct The Cost From A Tenant's Security Deposit?
This issue keeps raising its head over and over and over . . . so I feel compelled to address it. The question: Must a landlord have completed the repair of tenant-caused damages to a rental unit before being legally able to deduct the repair costs from the tenant's security deposit?I personally believe the answer to that question is "No" -- the repair work does not need to be completed prior to a landlord being able ...
Pursuing a Money Judgement Against An Ex-Tenant . . . Should You Even Bother?
Once you have evicted a tenant and have your property returned to you, you are confronted with the decision of whether to invest the time and money to pursue the ex-tenant for money damages or not.Some of my landlord clients always pursue the ex-tenant for money judgments. Of that segment of landlords, some will obtain their ...
A De Novo Hearing Is A "Second Kick at the Cat"
Under Wisconsin law, a Court Commissioner cannot decide a contested eviction action -- that must be decided by a judge. However a court commissioner can preside over and decide a hearing on a landlord's 2nd and 3rd causes for action for money damages. Typically this includes claims for past due rent, physical damages to the rental property or holdover damages.In Milwaukee County, due to ...
To "Walkthrough" or Not To "Walkthrough" That Is The Question
At the end of a tenancy a tenant or a landlord often requests a walkthrough of the rental unit prior to turning in the keys and delivering possession of the unit back to the landlord. A walkthrough is just that --- the tenant and the landlord walk through the rental unit and make observations of the condition of the unit. It is at this time that a landlord may point ...
Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules Against Landlord in Maryland Arms Case and Chooses To Avoid Answering The Bigger Question
The Wisconsin Supreme Court filed its opinion in this very important case on July 7, 2010. While the majority opinion ruled against the landlord it did not go so far as to say that a landlord and tenant could not allocate liability for damage (when neither party was negligent in causing the damage) in their rental agreement. If you would like to review the specific facts of the case and the ...
What Is The Life Expectancy of the Carpet (or Refrigerator or Stove or Hardwood Flooring) In My Rental Unit?
Those of you that have appeared in eviction court in an attempt to obtain a money judgment against a tenant that has damaged your rental unit know that oftentimes the court will not allow you to recover the total cost to replace the damaged item. Even when the court agrees that the tenant caused the damage there will be times when a landlord cannot obtain the full replacement value.Often when this occurs it ...
Landlords Should Not Play Games With Tenants' Security Deposits
A new landlord-tenant decision has been reccomended for publication. The case of Boelter v. Tschantz involves a tenant suing her past landlord for double damages and attorney’s fees for making improper deductions from her security deposit. The essential facts are as follows:1. Tschantz (the landlord) withheld money from the tenant's security deposit.2. The key deductions that were made were: (1) $323.84 for the tenant's water bill and (2) $85 to repair ...
Oral Arguments On Important Landlord Case To Be Heard on January 6, 2010
The Wisconsin Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the case of Maryland Arms L.P. v. Connell on Wednesday, January 6, 2010. This is a very important case for landlords as the decision will affect a landlord's ability to contract with his/her tenant.You can learn what the case is about by reviewing my earlier posts from May 28, 2009 and October 15, 2009.Oral arguments will be streamed at ...
WHY ARE THE "BAD LANDLORDS" THE ONLY ONES WE EVER HEAR ABOUT?
I was catching up on some long overdue blog reading this weekend and I came across a great blog post that I thought was very timely. I asked the author is I could re-post his thoughts and he agreed. The author of the post is Bill Gray who runs Rent Recovery Service, a company that assists landlords with collecting past due rent and damage charges from ex-tenants. I was fortunate enough ...
SUING AN EX-TENANT FOR PAST DUE RENT: What Factors To Consider
Your tenant has already vacated your rental unit - so there is no need to file an eviction action -- but they left owing you money. Is it worth your time and effort to sue them in order to obtain a money judgment? This is probably the third most frequently asked question that I receive when talking to landlords (the first two most asked questions in case you are curious ...
COURT OF APPEALS SAYS TENANT NOT LIABLE FOR FIRE DAMAGE
The court of appeals recently released its decision in the case of Maryland Arms Limited Partnership v. Connell. This decision has been reccomended for publication. The issue in this lawsuit was whether the landlord or the tenant should be liable for damage to an apartment unit when the damage was not caused by the negligence of either the landlord or tenant. The Court of Appeals held that it is ...