The CDC Moratorium has been extended until January 31, 2021. Please click here to read more or use our CDC Eviction Moratorium Declaration App

Now that the order has been extended, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has clarified that tenants do not need to resubmit a CDC declaration to maintain their protections through January. So, if you already filed a declaration with your landlord prior to the extension, you shouldn't need to fill out another. Read more above for more information about the CDC Eviction Moratorium.

CDC issues Order to Temporary Halt in Residential Evictions To Prevent the Further Spread of COVID-19

This moratorium does not automatically protect tenants and only applies to qualified tenants. Please click on the above link to read more about the CDC Eviction Moratorium. If you'd like to see if you qualify and/or fill out the required declaration paperwork please use our online app.  If you need a paper copy there are paper forms available at most Madison Public Library locations, either outside for pick-up or inside.  No appointment is necessary.  608-315-5151 or the library website: https://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/ can confirm hours for each location (they bring them in at night if outside), but every library location that is currently open and providing limited services can provide this form to folks. 

INFORMATIONAL ONLY (Translated Moratorium Directions and Declaration) 

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For Creole, Somali or Swahili: Click Here

For Mongolian, Thai, Tagalog, Burmese, Lao, Nepali, Bangla, Urdu, Marshallese, Samoan, Tongan or Chuukese: Click Here

In this 40th year of service, we need your help more than ever to ensure that our mission "Housing Justice in Wisconsin" remains a reality. 

Please consider becoming a monthly sustainer or donating to our  HOUSING CRISIS FUND

Your donations help keep our community members and our staff stabily housed. We are in unprecedented times. Even before COVID-19, Dane County was suffering a housing crisis, but now we are witnessing our community members lose their housing, employment and health at alarming rates. Each day we receive hundreds of calls from folks in need of financial assistance and advice about housing law. Each night as we leave our offices we bear witness to the growing number of community members - men, women and children at intersections asking for help and in the parks setting up a tent to sleep in because they've lost employment and housing. Please consider donating if you can or volunteering if you are willing - we are grateful to be able to serve our community and to fight for Housing Justice!

Big Thanks to our neighborhood partners MNA (Marquette Neighborhood Association), DMNA  (Dudgeon Monroe Neighborhood Association), and VSH Village of Shorewood Hills Housing Crisis Response Efforts!!

As many of you know Dane County was in a housing crisis before any of us ever heard of COVID-19. The Tenant Resource Center has long been the only organization in the entire State of Wisconsin that provides education and information to anyone seeking a better understanding of tenant-landlord law. All of our services are free of charge and we intend to keep it that way; sadly though, information alone does not always keep people secure in their housing. Since the onset of the pandemic, it's only gotten more and more difficult as our most vulnerable tenants have experiences staggering loss of employment and other benefits - these are folks who were already living pay-check to pay-check due to low wages and high costs of housing. We are grateful for all of the generous donations that have come in this year in support of folks in the housing crisis and even more so of the work that two of our neighborhood associations took upon themselves. If you are a member of either neighborhood and would like to know more please check it out. If you are a member of another neighborhood association and would like to set up a housing crisis fund via TRC please feel free to reach out. Here's to Housing Justice and community members getting it done! 

Due to COVID-19, we have had to close our offices to walk-ins for 2020. We are providing all services via call back service. Please call 608.257.0006 to get answers to your questions about Wisconsin Tenant-Landlord law, requesting assistance for eviction prevention, mediation, and general assistance related to housing security.

**Due to extremely large call volumes our response times may be much longer than normal. We are working as quickly as possible to return calls, but please expect long delays in us returning your call. In your message, please let us know what time of day is best for us to call you back. **

Our mission remains the same as it has for the last 40 years:

• 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 provide free information on rental rights and responsibilities to Dane County tenants and landlords who call or email (our offices are currently closed due to the COVID 19 pandemic). We have sample letters, forms, and brochures on most major topics. Services are available in English, Spanish and Arabic.
  • Note: This service was previously available statewide. Unfortunately, due to recent funding cuts, this service is only available for those living in 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 (currently closed due to COVID-19). We offer free presentations around campus when in regular session. Please 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 Prevention Clinic (aka EPC): 
  • 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: Our trained mediators assist by helping to negotiate workable, fair agreement between tenants and landlords both during the Small Claims Court eviction hearings and out of court (prior to eviction filings) in order to prevent homelessness. Mediation services are only for Dane County residents (free service of charge).
• Housing 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 C., Housing Case Manager, Rapid Re-Housing (Spanish)
• Chrisbelly A., Bilingual Housing Resource Specialist (Spanish)
• Debra P., Program Director, Mediation
• Drew W., Data Specialist
• Kora S., Housing Case Manager
• LaToya G., Housing Specialist
• Lolita P., Housing Specialist
• Luke S., Program Director, Tenant Services
  
• Maggie W., Housing Counselor
• Matt K., Finance Director 
  
• Melinda D., Program Director, Tenant Services 
  
• Molly W., Program Director, Housing Services (Spanish)
  
• Nathan W., Housing Specialist
• Niko M., Bilingual Housing Counselor (Spanish)
• Robin S., Executive Director
  
• Rose M., Housing Case Manager
• Sarah B., Housing Specialist (Arabic)
• Sarah F., Housing Specialist
• Saul C., Housing Specialist (Spanish)
• Shenise M., Housing Specialist
• Zachary O., Housing Case Manager, Rapid Re-Housing

Our Board of Directors

• Andrea Singletary, President
• Laura Dixson-Kruijf, Vice-President
• Jim White, Treasurer
• Joan Kemble, Secretary
• Gentry Bieker
• Saundra Brown
• Enzo Ciarletta
• Hannah Renfro
• Floyd Wells

Interested in serving on our Board of Directors? Fill out our Board Member Application. Paper copies available through andrea@tenantresourcecenter.org

Our Funding

The TRC is funded by:

 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.

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

Not from Wisconsin? 

Here are some other resources you might be able to use:

NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Right to the City
National Housing Law Project
National Alliance of HUD Tenants

ARIZONA
Arizona Tenants Advocates

CALIFORNIA
Causa Justa/Just Cause
Tenants Together
Housing Rights Center
San Francisco Tenants Union
Housing Rights Committee of SF
Coalition for Economic Survival

ILLINOIS
Illinois Tenants Union
Center for Renters' Rights
Metropolitan Tenants Organization
UIUC Tenant Union
Champaign-Urbana Tenant Union

IOWA
Home, Inc.

KANSAS
Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc.

MARYLAND
BNI (originally Baltimore Neighborhoods, Inc.)

MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Tenant Coalition
HAP Housing
Vida Urbana/City Life

MICHIGAN
Michigan Tenant Counseling Program

MINNESOTA
HOME Line

MISSOURI
The Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council

NEW JERSEY
New Jersey Tenants Organization

NEW YORK
Good Old Lower East Side
Mothers on the Move
Picture the Homeless

RHODE ISLAND
Olneyville Neighborhood Association

VIRGINIA
Tenants and Workers United

WASHINGTON
Solid Ground - Tenant Services
Tenants Union of Washington State