I apologize for getting on my soapbox here, but most of you are either landlords or spend more than 40 hours a week representing landlords or working with them. If you don't fall into one of the above categories, you probably will not want to read this blog post. I recommend that you read this recent article about Matt Desmond, the author of Evicted and now the author of ..read more

By Atty. Gary D. Koch of Petrie + Pettit S.C. A tenant's filing of a bankruptcy, whether it is a Chapter 7 or a Chapter 13, stops your eviction cold under most circumstances! Evictions are typically matters handled exclusively through the state court system, in whichever county the property is located. Every now and then, though, we have to make a trip to federal court to assist a landlord. This most frequently ..read more

This FAQ blog post was written by Atty. Heiner Giese who is the attorney for the Rental Property Association of Wisconsin, Inc. (RPA) formally known as the Apartment Association of Southeastern Wisconsin (AASEW) The Wisconsin Supreme Court held an open administrative conference on October 9, 2023, to consider a petition (No. 22-03) filed by Legal Action of Wisconsin (LAW) concerning the retention of court records in eviction cases. Evictions are heard ..read more

In an ideal world, the tenant would return their keys, remove all personal property (including trash), and leave the rental unit spotless. Then it would be clear that the tenant has surrendered the rental unit and, as there wouldn’t be any personal property remaining, there would be nothing to debate its abandonment. Unfortunately, that rarely happens. In this situation, there are generally two main issues: (1) Has ..read more

We have all heard reports that say residential rental evictions surged due to the Wisconsin eviction moratorium expiration in May.  When you look at a small time period (like the number of evictions that were filed after a 2+ month moratorium) you can always find numbers that will support your narrative. However, the real numbers show a 30% decline for the first six months of 2020 versus 2019. How can ..read more

This is guest post written by Tim Ballering (JustALandlord.com) The CDC attorneys have stated in federal court that owners are permitted to file evictions as well as challenge the veracity of a tenant's CDC Declaration. The CDC argues that owners can even obtain an eviction judgment, as long as the physical move is stayed until the end of the moratorium. Most importantly, the Order does not prevent a landlord from filing an ..read more

On September 1, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published an Agency Order temporarily stopping all residential evictions in the United States, in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. What Are the Effective Dates of this Order? This order became effective immediately upon publication (presumed to be Sept 4, 2020) and continues through December 31, 2020. What Is Prohibited under ..read more

Have you noticed that landlords tend to be portrayed as evil and uncaring?  I'm reading lots of so-called news articles (that really are nothing but opinion pieces) with such sentiments.  The media also tend to treat all landlords as large companies making lots of money at the expense of tenants.  Did you know that the vast majority of landlords throughout the U.S. are small "mom & pop" landlords that own ..read more

By Tim Ballering (justalandlord.com) Yesterday's new contained many articles on Milwaukee’s Rental Housing Resource Center which is a collaboration to help both renters and housing providers. This was project was envisioned and started a couple of years ago. It became more relevant with the COVID economic crisis that has impacted the ability of folks to pay rent and avoid eviction. The partners are a very diverse group: Community Advocates, Legal Aid ..read more

I was interviewed by Reporter Caroline Reinwald of ch. 12 WISN yesterday on the CDC eviction moratorium and how it is negatively affecting both Tenants AND Landlords.  I thought Caroline did a very nice job of explaining the pains felt by both sides and was happy to be interviewed for the report ..read more