Landlords Rights Madison at Tenant Resource Center

Posted by · June 17, 2013 4:28 PM

Our Mission:

"For Housing Justice in Wisconsin"

Real Life, Real Solutions
Keeping Families Safe in their Homes
Unlocking the Doors to Affordable Housing

The Tenant Resource Center is a nonprofit, membership organization dedicated to promoting positive relations between rental housing consumers (tenants) and providers (landlords) throughout Wisconsin. By providing information and referrals, education about rental rights and responsibilities, and access to conflict resolution, we empower the community to obtain and maintain quality affordable housing.

Our Programs

Click here for a printable brochure with information about our programs. All our services are free and for Wisconsin clients unless otherwise noted.

Housing Counseling: We give free information on rental rights and responsibilities to tenants and landlords statewide who call, email or drop by our offices. We have sample letters, forms, and brochures on most major topics. Services are available in English and Spanish.
- Note: This service was previously available statewide. Unfortunately, due to recent funding cuts, this service is only available for those living in the City of Madison and Dane County. Want to help us restore this service statewide? Visit our Help TRC page for more information.
Campus Office: We offer services especially for UW Madison students. We have an office at the Student Activity Center (hours vary by semester) and give presentations around campus. Contact us if you are interested in a campus presentation.
Community Outreach and Education: We provide outreach and education through a brochure series and local workshops. We give informative presentations around Wisconsin, are available for media interviews and participate in community coalitions. Contact us if you are interested in working with us in any of these capacities. A fee is required for these workshops outside Dane County.
Housing Law Seminars: We teach biannual Housing Law Seminar series for landlords and service providers throughout Wisconsin. A participation fee is required.
Eviction Clinic:
- We provide free information about tenant and landlord rights/responsibilities, relevant housing laws, and basic information about the court process to tenants and landlords at eviction court in Dane County. Services are available before the eviction hearing or mediation. Please note that our housing counselors are not attorneys and cannot give legal advice or represent anyone in court.
- If tenants are evicted, we help those tenants look for housing, make a plan so they don't end up in a homeless shelter, and help them understand what services might be available to in Dane County.
- If tenants enter into a payment plan at court, we can work with those tenants for up to three months to help make sure they meet that agreement.
- Limited funds may be available for nonpayment of rent for those who have been homeless in the past 5 years, have a large family (5 or more) or who need an accessible unit.
Housing Mediation Service: We administer a program in which certified mediators facilitate negotiations between tenants and landlords during the Small Claims Court eviction hearings each week in order to prevent homelessness. Mediators are also available for Dane County out-of-court mediations. Mediation services are only for Dane County residents (free service at Small Claims Court for evictions, fees for out-of-court mediation).
Homeless Services: We offer assistance finding housing, including limited case management, eviction prevention services and rapid rehousing services. These services are only available through direct referral from the Dane County Coordinated Entry system.

Looking to connect with us about our programs or services? Please contact our Executive Director, Robin Sereno: <Robin@TenantResourceCenter.org>

Our Staff

Abbey V., Housing Case Manager, Rapid Re-Housing (Spanish)
Debra P., Housing Case Manager
Kora S., Housing Case Manager
Luke S., Housing Resource Specialist
Matt K., Finance Director
Melinda D., Housing Resource Specialist
Molly W., Eviction Prevention Lead (Spanish)
Niko M., Bilingual Housing Counselor (Spanish)
Robin S., Executive Director
Sawyer J., Housing Case Manager
Rose M., Housing Case Manager

Our Volunteers

Housing Counselors

Caitin
Erik
Gordon
Jane
Jasmin
Joan
Jonathan
Julio
Justin
Larissa
Maggie
Maria
Mary
Matt
Wenda

Interns:

Shannon
Sharisse

Office Assistants

Annita
Drew
Kai
Scott
Susan
Stacy

Mediators

Allison
Danielle
Howard
Sue

Our Board of Directors

Andrea Singletary, president
Laura Dixson-Kruijf, vice-president
Paris Foster, treasurer
Zeb Patek, secretary
Crystal Banse
Joan Kemble
Anders Zanichkowsky
Enzo Ciarletta

Interested in serving on our Board of Directors? Fill out our Board Member Application and return it to board@tenantresourcecenter.org

Our Funding

The TRC is funded by:

City of Madison

AND of course, we are funded by the extraordinary ordinary people who see our value and then send us a few of their hard-earned dollars. Please consider donating if you are able.

Know Your Rights

Posted by · September 23, 2012 10:38 AM · 16 reactions

We Help Tenants, Landlords and Service Providers!

The Tenant Resource Center offers information to tenants, landlords and service providers interested in learning more about their rental rights and responsibilities. The first step is getting you the right information for your area - please tell us where you (or your rental question) are:

I am in the City of Madison

- OR -

I am in Fitchburg (under construction)

- OR -

I am in Wisconsin, not Madison or Fitchburg

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
Hmoob: (608) 257-0006 x 2
UW-Madison Students: (608) 216-2321
Via Rental Rights email
Via UW-Madison Office email