Tristan’s Landlord-Tenant Law Blog
East Side Landlord "Think Small" Seminar Event on March 13th
Make plans to attend the fourth East Side Landlord Think Small event hosted by UWM! This event is free and open to all interested landlords, with a special focus on Milwaukee's East Side.This spring's event promises to be very engaging with featured presenter Attorney Tristan Pettit, who focuses his practice on representing landlords and management companies in landlord-tenant law matters.Topics will include screening potential tenants and recent updates to landlord-tenant laws ...
So Let's Talk About . . . Companion/Comfort Animals In Rental Properties
I have been promising that I would blog about this topic for months (could it possibly be over a year even) and the time has finally come. So let's talk about companion/comfort animals in rental properties.Background:I will use the terms comfort animals and companion animals interchangeably throughout this post.So we are all on the “same page" a companion animal is an animal ...
It's Not Why Should You Join the Apartment Association of SE Wisconsin . . . It's Why Wouldn't You?
By Joe Dahl (President of the Apaartment Association of Southeastern Wisconsin, Owner of Milwaukee Metro Management, and guest blogger)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Why Join the AASEW?Since becoming President of the Apartment Association of Southeastern Wisconsin (AASEW) earlier this year and traveling around southeast Wisconsin promoting the group, I am continuously asked by prospective members “Why should I join the AASEW?”I admit that my first ...
5th Annual Landlord Boot Camp Is Just Around the Corner - February 23, 2013 - Register now.
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.The Apartment Association of Southeastern Wisconsin's Fifth “Landlord Boot Camp” can help you navigate these treacherous waters and learn how to run your properties with greater profit and less hassles.Who: Taught by Attorney Tristan Pettit, who drafts the landlord tenant forms ...
Next AASEW Meeting: "Do You Have Proper Insurance For Your Rentals" - January 21, 2013
Join us at the AASEW's next monthly membership meeting on January 21, 2013 at 7 pm at the Best Western Hotel (1005 S. Moorland Road, Brookfield).The presentation will be entitled "Do You Have Proper Insurance For Your Rental Property?"Bob Dummer of P&C Insurance and Dan Schani of Dan Schani Insurance Agency will be the featured speakers.If you're like me, the topic of insurance sounds pretty boring ... that is ...
5 Things This Landlords' Attorney Wants For Christmas
With the coming of the holidays, comes list of gifts that people want for Christmas. So I thought I would put together one of my own. So here is a list of the top 5 things that this landlords' lawyer would like for Christmas. 5. That Tenants' Requests For Reasonable Accommodations To Allow for the Keeping of Companion/Comfort Animals Would Actually Be "Reasonable"The past few years -- and especially this past ...
Article on Landlord-Tenant Law Topped the List of WisBar InsideTrack's Most Read Articles of 2012
Milwaukee lawyer Tristan Pettit's article on landlord-tenant law topped the list of most-read articles from WisBar InsideTrack in 2012.In the past year, WisBar InsideTrack received a number of timely and relevant article submissions from lawyers discussing legislative actions and judicial decisions, substantive legal issues, practice management, ethics, human interest and other developments.On April 4, 2012, Attorney Tristan Pettit of Petrie & Stocking S.C. wrote an article entitled "Landlord-Tenant Law: Rights, ...
Don't Miss the AASEW's Holiday Party on Monday December 10th.
It’s that time of year again, Ring in the Holidays with the Apartment Association of Southeastern Wisconsin's Annual Holiday Party!!!!Monday, December 10th. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Dinner at 6:30 p.m.The Clarion Hotel 5311 S. Howell Avenue, Milwaukee$30.00 per person, includes appetizers, dinner, coffee and dessert and door prizes prizes! Cash bar.To register, mail your check prior to December 6th to AASEW, PO BOX 4125, Milwaukee, WI ...
Milwaukee's Amended Smoke Alarm Ordinance To Take Effect June 1, 2013.
On November 8, 2012, Milwaukee's Common Council passed a revised smoke alarm ordinance by a vote of 13 to 2.Effective June 1, 2013, all battery-operated smoke alarm must be powered by 10-year or more non-removable (sealed) batteries. Compliance with this requirement must be met when replacing any current battery operated smoke alarm after June 1st next year or by October 1, 2017 -- whichever is sooner. ...
Milwaukee Co. Eviction Court Closure Dates Through End of Year
Milwaukee County just advised many of us that Eviction Court (room 400 only) will be closed the following days:- Friday, November 2, 2012- Friday, November 23, 2012- Friday, December 14, 2012- Monday, December 24, 2012- Monday, December 31, 2012 Note: These closures do NOT apply to Judge Kuhnmuench's courtroom in room 409.
The Effects of "Obamacare" On The Small Landlord
There are so many questions regarding how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, more commonly referred to as "Obamacare," will effect small businesses such as us in the rental housing industry. What is the truth?AASEW Attorney Heiner Giese, a fellow landlord, has researched the law in depth and will be one of the speakers at the AASEW's upcoming monthly membership meeting on Monday, October 15th, where this issue ...
New Milwaukee Smoke Alarm Ordinance To Require Sealed Lithium Battery Units In Residential Rental Housing
The City of Milwaukee has introduced a change to the residential smoke alarm ordinance. If passed, the revised ordinance will require the use of sealed smoke alarm units with 10 year lithium batteries in all city residential rental housing. The proposed ordinance would require landlords to install the sealed unit when replacing a current removable-battery unit or by October 1, 2022, whichever occurs sooner.In is unknown what the impetus behind ...
Attend AASEW's Landlord Boot Camp on October 20th and Learn All About Wisconsin Residential Landlord-Tenant Law
Due to popular demand, the Apartment Association of Southeastern Wisconsin will be holding a second Landlord Boot Camp this year on Saturday October 20, 2012. Our last Boot Camp in February had more than 80 attendees and it was necessary to turn a few away. Additionally with the passage of the new Landlord Omnibus Law (Act 143), which took effect on March 31, 2012, we felt ...
Are Wisconsin Residential Leases Worth The Paper They Are Written On?
In my personal opinion the answer is often "no." The reason being is due to Wisconsin's requirement that a landlord make reasonable efforts to re-rent the unit if a tenant is evicted or decides to vacate early, and if this is not done, the landlord is not entitled to further rent from the breaching tenant.Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying that leases in Wisconsin are worthless and ...
AASEW Annual Landlord Trade Show - Wednesday September 19, 2012
It is that time of year again . . . time for the leaves to start falling and the Apartment Association of Southeastern Wisconsin to host its Annual Trade Show. The AASEW Trade Show is the place to be on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 from 11 am - 5 pm. The Trade Show will be held at American Serb Hall at 5101 W. Oklahoma Avenue in Milwaukee, WI.Entrance to the event is ...
AASEW's Next Meeting: How To Buy Rental Property In The New Economy Featuring Joe Dahl - Monday, August 20th
I hope that you all can make it to the next AASEW membership meeting on Monday, August 20th, 2012 starting at 7 PM. Joe Dahl, a young and dynamic local landlord and property manager (and the newest member of the AASEW Board of Directors) will discuss how to successfully invest in real estate in this new economy.Joe has successfully bought rental property using his own money, bank ...
Landlord Sues the Dish Network For The Costs To Remove Satellite Dishes from His Rental Property -- and Wins
Most landlords have at one time been frustrated by a tenant who contacts a satellite television provider to install a satellite dish on the roof of a rental property without first obtaining the landlord's permission. In fact this unfortunately happens quite often.The tenant ignores the lease provision which states that they can make no modifications to the unit, the building or grounds without the ...
Accepting Past Due Rent After Termination of Tenancy: The New Law and Traps To Avoid
The Landlord's Omnibus Law (Act 143) introduced a new statutory section to Chapter 799 regarding situations when a landlord accepts past due rent from a tenant after the tenant's tenancy has been terminated. Newly created sec. 799.40(1m) states as follows:If a landlord commences an action under this section against a tenant whose tenancy has been terminated for failure to pay rent, the action under this section may NOT be dismissed solely because ...
Judge Mary Kuhnmuench Will Be New Small Claims/Eviction Judge in Milwaukee County
In Milwaukee County we get a new small claims/eviction judge each year around August 1st or so. Most judicial rotations are three years long but for some reason --- possibly the high volume, tediousness, pro se litigants, stress level --- the small claims judge rotates every year.Milwaukee County's new small claims/eviction judge effective July 27, 2012, will be Mary M. Kuhnmuench. Judge Kuhnmuench is currently completing her rotation ...
Learn About Wisconsin's New Landlord-Tenant Law At AASEW's Next Meeting on June 18th.
You will not want to miss the Apartment Association of Southeastern Wisconsin's next membership meeting on June 18, 2012. The focus of the meeting will be on Wisconsin's new Landlord Omnibus law (Act 143).The passage of this new law in late March made a lot of changes to landlord tenant law in Wisconsin - both residential and commercial. Landlords and management companies will need to make modifications to ...