The Tenant Resource Center offers information to tenants, landlords and service providers interested in learning more about their rental rights and responsibilities in Wisconsin (if you aren't in Wisconsin, please click here to find help in your state). 

Most Commonly Searched Topic Areas:

• Evictions
• Repairs:
  - in the City of Madison
  - in Wisconsin (outside of the City of Madison)
• Security Deposit
  - in the City of Madison
  - in Wisconsin (outside of the City of Madison)
• Ending Your Lease/Breaking Your Lease

All We've Written on:

• All of our posts and pages, alphabetically
• Basics of Renting/Lease Basics
• Communication Basics
• Disasters
• Discrimination
• Ending a Lease/Breaking a Lease
• Especially for Landlords
• Eviction
• Find Housing
• Moving Days
• Preparing to Rent
• Problems During Tenancy (all the things that can go wrong between moving in and moving out)
• Renting for People with Disabilities
• Repairs
• Safety
• Seasonal
• Security Deposits
• Small Claims Court Basics/Legal Concept Basics
• UW
• Why We Do What We Do

* Please note: Our blog posts, indicated by an asterisk (*), are not updated as frequently as our main informational pages (main informational pages are in bold, with no asterisk). Blogs also are not color coded based on the law changes. When using the information in the blog posts, it's a good idea to cross reference our main informational pages. Please feel free to contact us with questions. 

Basics of Renting/Lease Basics:

• Application Fees & Earnest Money *
• Assert the Rights You Have *
• Change of Owner *
• Exclusive Possession *
• Fees & Liquidated Damages *
• Get It in Writing *
• How to Ask for What You Want *
• How to Count (Days in a Notice) *
• How to Write a Letter *
• Joint and Several Liability *
• Lapsed Leases *
• Mobile Home Basics *
• Negotiation 101 *
• Non-Standard Rental Provisions *
• Reading Your Lease *
• Renters Insurance *
• Rent To Own *
• Section 8: For Tenants, For Landlords, Terminations *
• Subletting,* and All about Subletting
• Tips for Cosigners *
• What Kind of Lease Do I Have? *
• Write That Conversation Down *

Communication Basics:

• Assert the Rights You Have *
• How to Ask for What You Want *
• How to Write a Letter *
• Get It in Writing *
• Negotiation 101 *
• Write That Conversation Down *

Disasters:

• Constructive Eviction *
• Fires: The Aftermath *
• Mold *
• Negligence *
• Renters Insurance *
• When It Rains, It Pours, and When It Pours, It Floods *

Discrimination:

• Discrimination
• Fair Housing Laws 

Ending a Lease/Breaking a Lease:

• All about Subletting *
• Breaking a Lease: For Tenants *
• Constructive Eviction 
• Domestic Abuse from a Tenant's perspective *
• Ending Your Lease 
• End of the Lease: Protect Your Security Deposit *
• Moving Out of One Apartment and Into Another
• Non-Renewal Reasons? *
• Notice When Ending a Tenancy  *
• Should I Stay or Should I Go? (Notice to End a Term Lease) *
• Subletting,* and All about Subletting
• Tenant Property and Property Left Behind 

Especially For Landlords:

• A Few Best Practices for Landlords  *
• Aging and Abilities in Rental Housing *
• Broken Leases: Mitigation for Landlords  *
• Domestic Abuse: For Landlords *
• For Landlords: Screening Applicants Based on Criminal History *
• Landlord's Perspective: Unwanted Guests  *
• Section 8 for Landlords *
• Tips for Landlords  *
• Posts with Sections for Landlords:
  - Application Fees & Earnest Money *
  - Change of Owner *
  - Emotional Support Animals *
  - Fees and Liquidated Damages *
  - How to Count (Days in a Notice) *
  - Landlord Entry: Dispelling the Confusion  *
  - Landlord References *
  - Lease Renewal Already? *
  - Peaceful Enjoyment *
  - Snow and Ice  *

Eviction:

• CCAP: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly *
• Dealing With Unwelcome Guests  *
• Debt Collection
• Eviction
• Eviction Notice Response *
• Mediation in Wisconsin  *
• Non-Renewal Reasons?  *

Find Housing:

• Apartment Searches in the Spring *
• Date with (Rental) Destiny  *
• Landlord References *
• Searching For Housing  *

Moving Days:

• Five Steps for a Good Moving Day *
• Moving Days 2018 *
• This Was a Terrible Idea * 

Preparing to Rent:

• Application Fees & Earnest Money *
• Credit Reports 
• For Tenants: New HUD Rules About Criminal History *
• Landlord References *
• Preparing to Rent 
• Repairs and Reimbursement *
• Quick and Dirty Guide to Renting in Wisconsin 
• Renting with a Criminal Conviction or Arrest Record 

Problems During Tenancy (things that can go wrong between moving in and moving out):

• Bedbugs *
• Change of Owner *
• Dealing With Unwelcome Guests  *
• Domestic abuse (from a Landlord's perspective, from a Tenant's perspective) *
• Fires: The Aftermath *
• Foreclosure & Current Foreclosure Laws *
• Landlord Entry & Landlord Entry: Dispelling the Confusion  *
• Landlord Retaliation 
• Lease Renewal Already? *
• Mediation in Wisconsin *
• Mold *
• Negligence *
• Parking Part IV (this is the most recent in a series of law changes about parking) *
• Peaceful Enjoyment *
• Repairs
• Renters Insurance *
• Roommates and You 
• Safety

Renting for People with Disabilities

• Emotional Support Animals *
• Pets and Service Animals
• Renting with Disabilities *

Repairs

• Bedbugs *
• Constructive Eviction *
• Fires: The Aftermath *
• Hot And Cold (Heat and Refrigerators) 
• Is Your Heat On? 
• Mold *
• Negligence *
• Repairs and Reimbursement *
• Repairs in the City of Madison
• Repairs in Wisconsin (outside of the City of Madison)
• Weatherproof Your Rental  *

Safety:

• Apartment Safety 
• Constructive Eviction  *
• Domestic Abuse: For Landlords *
• Domestic Abuse: For Tenants *

Seasonal:

• Homestead Credit  *
• Is Your Heat On?  *
• Lease Renewal Already?  *
• Snow and Ice  *
• Spring Roundup *
• Summer Heat  *
• Weatherproof Your Rental *
• When It Rains, It Pours, and When It Pours, It Floods *
• Winter Issues *
• Winter No-Go Clause *

Security Deposits:

• Debt Collection 
• End of the Lease: Protect Your Security Deposit *
• Non-Standard Rental Provisions *
• Normal Wear and Tear  *
• Security Deposits in the City of Madison
• Security Deposits in Wisconsin 
• Security Deposit Myths Debunked! *
• Security Deposit Roundup  *

Small Claims Court Basics/Legal Concept Basics:

• A Coupla Contract Law Issues *
• A Small Claims Strategy  *
• CCAP: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly *
• Discovery  *
• Exclusive Possession  *
• How to Count (Days in a Notice) *
• Joint and Several Liability *
• Liquidated Damages  *
• Negligence *
• Normal Wear and Tear  *
• Small Claims Court Tips  *

UW:

• Contact the UW based TRC office
• Parking in Madison 

Why We Do What We Do:

• The Human Cost  *
• Things Can Be Hard *
• What Is Home To You?  *

Alphabetical List of Topics:

A Coupla Contract Law Issues*
A Few Best Practices for Landlords *
A Small Claims Strategy *
Aging and Abilities in Rental Housing *
All about Subletting *
Apartment Safety
Apartment Searches in the Spring *
Application Fees & Earnest Money *
Assert the Rights You Have *
Bedbugs *
Breaking a Lease: For Tenants *
Broken Leases: Mitigation for Landlords *
CCAP: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly *
Change of Owner *
Constructive Eviction *
Contact the UW based TRC office
Credit Reports
Date with (Rental) Destiny *
Dealing With Unwelcome Guests *
Debt Collection
Discovery *
Discrimination
Domestic abuse (from a Landlord's perspective, from a Tenant's perspective) *
Emotional Support Animals *
End of the Lease: Protect Your Security Deposit *
Ending Your Lease
Eviction
Eviction Notice Response *
Exclusive Possession *
Fair Housing Laws
Fees & Liquidated Damages *
Fires: The Aftermath *
Five Steps for a Good Moving Day *
For Landlords: Screening Applicants Based on Criminal History *
For Tenants: New HUD Rules About Criminal History *
Foreclosure & Current Foreclosure Laws *
Get It in Writing *
Hot And Cold (Heat and Refrigerators) *
How to Ask for What You Want *
How to Count (Days in a Notice) *
How to Write a Letter *
Is Your Heat On? *
Joint and Several Liability *
Landlord Entry & Landlord Entry: Dispelling the Confusion *
Landlord References *
Landlord Retaliation
Landlord's Perspective: Unwanted Guests *
Lapsed Leases *
Lease Renewal Already? *
Liquidated Damages *
Mediation in Wisconsin *
Mobile Home Basics *
Mold *
Moving Days 2018 *
Moving Out of One Apartment and Into Another
Negligence *
Negotiation 101 *
Non-Renewal Reasons? *
Non-Standard Rental Provisions *
Normal Wear and Tear *
Notice When Ending a Tenancy *
Parking in Madison
Parking Part IV (this is the most recent in a series of law changes about parking) *
Peaceful Enjoyment *
Pets and Service Animals
Preparing to Rent
Quick and Dirty Guide to Renting in Wisconsin
Reading Your Lease *
Rent To Own *
Renters Insurance *
Renting with a Criminal Conviction or Arrest Record
Renting with Disabilities *
Repairs and Reimbursement *
Repairs in the City of Madison
Repairs in Wisconsin (outside of the City of Madison)
Roommates and You
Searching For Housing *
Section 8: For Tenants, For Landlords, Terminations *
Security Deposit Myths Debunked! *
Security Deposit Roundup *
Security Deposits in the City of Madison
Security Deposits in Wisconsin
Should I Stay or Should I Go? (Notice to End a Term Lease) *
Small Claims Court Tips *
Snow and Ice *
Spring Roundup *
Subletting,* and All about Subletting
Summer Heat*
Tenant Property and Property Left Behind
The Human Cost *
Things Can Be Hard *
This Was a Terrible Idea *
Tips for Cosigners *
Tips for Landlords *
Weatherproof Your Rental *
What Is Home To You? *
What Kind of Lease Do I Have? *
When It Rains, It Pours, and When It Pours, It Floods *
Winter Issues *
Winter No-Go Clause *
Write That Conversation Down *

All of our written materials (forms, brochures, seminar registration and books) are available on our Publications & Forms page.

If you can't get your questions answered from our online resources, please contact us:

• Walk-in, no appointment necessary: 
  • 1202 Williamson Street, Suite 102, Madison, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM OR
  • 333 East Campus Mall (Student Activity Center), Room 3156, Madison, WI 53715 (hours vary, see here for details)
• Phone in Dane County: (608) 257-0006 
• Toll-free (from anywhere outside of Dane County): 1-877-238-RENT (7368)
• En Español: (608) 257-0006 x 1
• UW-Madison Students: (608) 216-2321
• Via Rental Rights email
• Via UW-Madison Office email