Dec. 18, 2013 – Due to the rapid pace at which 2011 Wisconsin Act 143 (effective April 1, 2012) was drafted and enacted, some provisions caused confusion. SB 179, which Gov. Walker signed on Dec. 12, 2013 as Act 76, corrects six unintended consequences from Act 143, but there are 13 brand new changes to the landlord-tenant law. In this video, Milwaukee attorney Tristan Pettit discusses some of those changes:

• With Act 143, the security deposit 21-day return requirement or letter of notification was accidentally applied to commercial landlords; it no longer applies to commercial landlords.

• Landlords are now allowed immediate disposal of abandoned property unless it is a prescription, medical device, certain type of vehicle, or mobile home.

• Eviction trials – regardless of whether it’s a court trial or a jury trial – now must be scheduled within 30 days of the return date. The person in charge of the property is no longer required to file the notice, an agent can file. Representation in court has also changed. Attorneys are no longer required to represent LLCs in court; a property manager or an agent can do so.

Pettit presented “Update on Wisconsin Landlord-Tenant Law” at the State Bar of Wisconsin PINNACLE^® Solo & Small Firm Conference in October.

Pettit is a shareholder with Petrie & Stocking S.C., Milwaukee, and is president of the Apartment Association of Southeastern Wisconsin, Inc. He publishes a blog devoted to landlord-tenant law issues at www.LandlordTenantLawBlog.com.