Issue Spotlight: Non-Profit Housing Providers & Eviction

This article comes from our Q3 2024 EDDP report, which you can view here.The eviction process can be fraught and complicated under any set of circumstances. However, with non-profit and subsidized rental units, this process can at times be even more complicated for tenants and service providers. Continue reading

Overview - Eviction in Dane County for Q2 2024

This article comes from our Q2 2024 EDDP report, which you can view here. Over 86% of households facing eviction in the past 3 months had their cases dismissed due to the efforts of the EDDP. New eviction filings slowed in Dane County this past quarter, but court activity and court dates reached a post-pandemic high, according to the latest eviction court data. This suggests that the slight decrease in new filings is at least, in part, explained by increasing numbers of cases that are ongoing through the eviction process. Continue reading

Issue Spotlight: Junk Fees, an Update

This article comes from our Q2 2024 EDDP report, which you can view here. Navigating the legal system after receiving an eviction filing is already a difficult task. This challenge can become even more insurmountable when part of your landlord’s eviction filing consists of junk fees or charges that are not your responsibility under the rental agreement. These fees make it even more difficult for tenants to obtain and maintain stable, affordable housing. Examples of such fees include nonrefundable deposits, convenience fees, punitive charges, court costs, or excessive late fees. Continue reading

Issue Spotlight: Serial Evictions

This article comes from our Q2 2024 EDDP report, which you can view here. A significant group of tenants in Dane County are subject to frequent, repeated, and harmful eviction filings by their landlord, Tenant Resource Center data shows. More than a quarter of all tenants who have faced eviction since 2023 have been brought to court by the same landlord at least once before. Continue reading

Issue Spotlight: Defaults on Stipulated Dismissal Agreements

This article comes from our Q2 2024 EDDP report, which you can view here. Stipulated dismissal agreements can be an effective and mutually beneficial way for a landlord and tenant to resolve an eviction, but these agreements are frequently unfair, unrealistic and coercive to tenants – and ultimately result in an eviction judgment, a TRC analysis shows. Continue reading

Resource Spotlight: Mapping Evictions

This article comes from our Q2 2024 EDDP report, which you can view here. Eviction is a devastating but poorly understood reality for hundreds of families in Dane County each year. A new Tenant Resource Center eviction map, utilizing data that has never been publicly available, uncovers where tenants face eviction and which communities are most frequently targeted by landlords. Continue reading

Overview - Eviction in Dane County for Q1 2024

This article comes from our Q1 2024 EDDP report, which you can view here. Landlords in Dane County filed for eviction more times in the first quarter of 2024 than in any previous quarter since at least 2021. This continues a worrying post-pandemic trend that has seen more tenants face the threat of eviction than ever before. A total of 689 evictions targeting 659 unique households were filed between January 1st and March 31st, 2024, a 10% increase from the same months in 2023 and more than double the number filed in the same time period in 2022. Continue reading

Issue Spotlight: Hidden Impacts of Evictions & Youth

This article comes from our Q1 2024 EDDP report, which you can view here. Evictions profoundly impact millions nationally; however, the structure of the eviction court system conceals one of the most vulnerable demographic groups: children. Despite a lack of comprehensive national data on household compositions during evictions, it is estimated that from 2007 – 2016, 2.9 million children faced eviction filings annually, according to a 2023 study linking national eviction data with US Census Bureau statistics. Continue reading

Issue Update: Eviction Redactions

This article comes from our Q1 2024 EDDP report, which you can view here. For the thousands of individuals and families who face eviction in Dane County each year, a single eviction can be an insurmountable barrier to securing a safe, affordable and decent home in the future. That’s because landlords routinely use the online court records system CCAP to screen potential tenants and deny housing to those who have an eviction on their record – even if the case was dismissed, settled, or filed erroneously. Continue reading

WPR: Eviction Filings Have Spiked in Dane County. A New Report Looks at Why.

Written by Sarah Lehr. Original Article Found Here. Last year, the number of eviction filings in Dane County nearly doubled compared to 2022. In 2023, Dane County landlords sought evictions in nearly 2,500 cases, according to a report released by the Eviction Diversion and Defense Partnership. That’s a 45 percent increase over the year prior, and more than three times the number of cases filed in 2021, according to data compiled by the partnership. Continue reading