Landlord & Tenant

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This blog post was written by Atty. David J. Espin of Pettit Law Group S.C. One of the most frequently asked questions I get when I’m assisting clients with forming limited liability companies is: What are a registered agent and a registered office, and why do they matter? Wis. Stat. § 183.0115 states that every Wisconsin limited liability company “shall designate and maintain a registered office in this state,” and that the “designation of a registered agent is…
Continue Reading Choosing A Registered Agent For Your Company

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Good Morning EveryoneI am personally inviting you to attend an EXTREMELY important event — Capitol Day on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, in Madison.  We need hundreds of people in attendance to demonstrate to legislators that we care.The Koble issue remains unresolved as I write this.  Koble is the single most important issue facing landlords in Wisconsin.  If you are not aware of Koble, please read one of my earlier blog posts about this issue.   The draft legislation…
Continue Reading PLEASE ATTEND Capitol Day on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, in Madison

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Written by Atty. Jennifer M. Hayden of Pettit Law Group S.C.]

Effective December 24, 2025, the USPS will adopt a “final rule” that, along with the implementation of the Regional Transportation Optimization (“RTO”) initiative, is likely to result in the date a mailing is postmarked being a day or more later than the date the mailing is delivered to USPS, unless you have it postmarked by hand by a USPS retail worker when you drop it off. The postmark…
Continue Reading When Will Your Mailing Be Postmarked?

A tenant starts to notice little red marks on her body. Unsure where they came from, she assumes it was a mosquito bite or something innocuous. But she also overheard in the lobby that someone else in the building might have bed bugs. A few days pass, but now there are even more red marks. And the kids have the bite marks too. This family’s worst fears have come true.

The mom Googles “how to get rid of bed…
Continue Reading Infestation Injustice

Wis. Stat. chapter 704 and Wis. Admin. Code chapter ATCP 134 govern landlord tenant law in Wisconsin. However, municipalities throughout Wisconsin have enacted their own ordinances that create variations in the Wisconsin statutes and administrative code.

It is important to understand local ordinances when practicing landlord tenant law in Wisconsin. These variances may provide additional protections to tenants or require specific procedures for landlords or tenants in relation to disputes regarding the rented premises.
An Example: Repairs
Repairs at

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Continue Reading Variations in the Legal Rights of Residential Landlords and Tenants

This blog post is authored by Atty. Gary D. Koch of Pettit Law Group S.C.The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was created in 2011 primarily in response to the 2008 financial crisis and recession. It has been tasked with protecting consumers from unfair financial practices from banks, lenders, other financial companies, and, yes, even landlords. The CFPB was one of the agencies charged with enforcing the CARES Act, and has been active in regulating tenant screening processes.Earlier this February,…
Continue Reading How Are Landlords Affected Now That The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Has Been Told to “stand down from performing any work task” by the President?

By statute, there are several types of notices that a landlord can serve on a tenant if the tenant commits a breach of their Residential Rental Agreement or when the landlord wishes to terminate the tenancy. If your Residential Rental Agreement with the tenant specifies something different, you would want to use the longer notice period.
Most of these notices can be used in periodic tenancies (such as a month-to-month tenancy) as well as a lease for the term…
Continue Reading Update On Notices Available To Wisconsin Landlords In Residential Tenancies

A recent Wisconsin Court of Appeals case complicates residential leases by applying the Wisconsin Consumer Act (WCA) to residential leases and uniquely calculating pecuniary loss under Wis. Stat. section 100.20(5) for a violation of Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 134.08(10).

The case is Koble Investments v. Marquardt.1 A petition to review the decision is currently pending before the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Landlords and tenants alike should be aware of its holding, as it has the potential to significantly

…
Continue Reading Koble Investments, the Wisconsin Consumer Act, and Residential Leases

While some effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic may continue to linger, the Public Health Emergency officially ended in May 2023. Does that mean the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act) is no longer relevant?
Unfortunately, the CARES Act is still relevant for landlords, specifically the 30-day notice period required for “Covered Dwelling Units.”
For a brief recap on the history and some potential issues for not complying with the Act, please see this prior blog post…
Continue Reading With the COVID-19 Pandemic Over, Is the CARES Act Still In Effect?

Do you want to learn everything there is to know about residential landlord-tenant law in Wisconsin? If so, then you must attend my next Landlord Boot Camp, which will be held on Saturday, November 16th, from 8:30 am – 6 pm at the Sonesta Hotel in WauwatosaI will cover everything a landlord needs to know about residential landlord-tenant law in Wisconsin.  We will be covering the all-important topics like:

  • Screening and Qualifying the Prospective Applicant and Fair Housing

…
Continue Reading Do you want to know everything about Residential Landlord-Tenant Law in Wisconsin? Then Attend My Landlord Boot Camp on November 16, 2024

Italian Greyhound, staring at something in the background

I recently received a question from a client asking whether she could legally charge a nonrefundable pet fee of $150 or a more significant pet rent of $150 for the first month (with all subsequent pet rent being $50). It was an interesting question. Below is the thought process I used to analyze and provide my client with an answer.
We already know that a landlord cannot charge a nonrefundable pet deposit. My previous blog post explains why.
Continue Reading Can Landlords Charge A Nonrefundable Pet Fee? Or What About Charging a Higher Pet Rent for the First Month?

The Rental Property Association of Wisconsin’s Annual Trade Show and Speaker Event, nicknamed RPA-CON 2024, will be held this Friday and Saturday, October 25th and 26th at The Ingleside. You will not want to miss this event. Over 60+ vendors and suppliers to the Rental Industry will be present, and a slew of speakers will present on all aspects of real estate.I will provide a Landlord-Tenant Law update on Friday, October 25th, at 10 a.m. and Saturday, October 26th,…
Continue Reading Don’t Miss the RPA’s Annual Tradeshow + Speaker Event – RPA-CON 2024 – On Friday, October 25th + Saturday, October 26th

Rental Sign

This is a guest blog post written by Atty. Dave Espin of Pettit Law Group S.C.
In light of the recent Koble Investments v. Marquette decision, it is now more critical than ever for landlords who hold rental properties in their personal names to consider transferring them to limited liability companies. If a tenant files a lawsuit (or a counterclaim in an eviction action) against you, landlords who hold properties in their personal names could face large money judgments…
Continue Reading Avoid ‘Fraudulent Transfers’ When Conveying Rental Property to LLCs

NOTE: The below blog post which was posted on June 18, 2024, is reproduced from the Rental Property Association of Wisconsin’s blog and was written by Atty. Heiner Giese, attorney for the RPA.
Since the Journal Sentinel and the other local news agencies won’t report on this, I thought it was important for people to know.
T
The Wisconsin Supreme Court today [06.18.24] issued it’s long-awaited ruling (Rule Petition 22-03) on how long eviction case records should remain available to…
Continue Reading Wisconsin Supreme Court Adopts Landlords' position on Eviction Record Retention

Landlord tenant law book on the lawyer desk.

This is a long blog post, and I apologize in advance, but I sincerely hope that you take the time to read it all the way until the end as it is very important that Wisconsin landlords know what they will be facing. This may be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, issues facing landlords in the last 30 years that I have been a practicing attorney, representing many of you.

Koble Investments v. Marquardt (“Koble”) is…
Continue Reading ATTENTION LANDLORDS: Wisconsin Court of Appeals case of Koble v. Marquardt Is Now Law

It is very important that landlords that are using the landlord-tenant law rental documents/forms that I draft, and which are sold through Wisconsin Legal Blank (WLB), ensure that they are using the most current forms.  To aid you in determining if you are using the most current version, WLB just published the document below on their website, so that you know have one place to go to determine if your rental documents are up to date. 
Please be…
Continue Reading It Is Very Important That Landlords Ensure That They Are Using the Most Current Version of WLB's Landlord Tenant Rental Forms.