AB1038,5,25 24(4) Located in a hotel, motel, boarding house, lodging house or other similar
25premises and the rental or occupancy is on a transient basis.
AB1038,6,2
1(5) Furnished free of charge, or free of charge to an employe even though
2conditioned upon employment in and about the premises.
AB1038,6,4 3(6) Subject to a rental agreement covering premises used by the occupant
4primarily for agricultural purposes.
AB1038,6,5 5704.915 Definitions. In this subchapter:
AB1038,6,8 6(1) "Building or housing code" means laws, ordinances or governmental
7regulations concerning the construction, maintenance, habitability, operation,
8occupancy, use or appearance of any premises or dwelling unit.
AB1038,6,11 9(2) "Dwelling unit" means a physical structure or that part of a physical
10structure that is primarily used as a home, residence or place of abode. The term
11includes a mobile home or mobile home site.
AB1038,6,15 12(3) "Earnest money deposit" means the total of any payments or deposits,
13however denominated or described, given by a prospective tenant to a landlord in
14return for the option of entering into a rental agreement in the future, or for
15consideration by the landlord of a rental application.
AB1038,6,21 16(4) "Form provision" means a written rule, regulation or rental or contract
17provision that has not been specifically and separately negotiated and agreed to by
18the tenant in writing. Any provision appearing as part of a preprinted form is
19rebuttably presumed to be a form provision unless it is handwritten, or unless it is
20preprinted in type that is not smaller than 12-point type size and signed by the
21tenant.
AB1038,6,25 22(5) "Landlord" means the owner or lessor of a dwelling unit that is subject to
23a rental agreement, or any agent acting on the owner's or lessor's behalf. The term
24includes a sublessor other than a person who subleases an individual unit that the
25person occupies.
AB1038,7,3
1(6) "Mobile home" means a unit designed to be towed or transported and used
2as a residential dwelling. The term does not include a unit used primarily for
3camping, touring or recreational purposes.
AB1038,7,6 4(7) "Mobile home site" means a plot of land that is rented or offered for rental
5to accommodate a mobile home. The term does not include a plot of land that is
6rented to accommodate a mobile home that is any of the following:
AB1038,7,77 (a) Occupied on a strictly seasonal basis.
AB1038,7,88 (b) Owned and occupied by a mobile home park operator.
AB1038,7,11 9(8) "Owner" means one or more persons vested with all or part of the legal title
10to a premises or all or part of the beneficial ownership and right to present use and
11enjoyment of a premises. The term includes a mortgagee in possession.
AB1038,7,13 12(9) "Person" means an individual, partnership, corporation, association,
13estate, trust or any other legal or business entity.
AB1038,7,16 14(10) "Premises" means a dwelling unit, the physical structure of which it is a
15part and all appurtenances, grounds, areas, furnishings and facilities held out for the
16use or enjoyment of the tenant or tenants generally.
AB1038,7,19 17(11) "Rental agreement" means any agreement, whether oral or written, for the
18rental or lease of a dwelling unit or premises. The term includes contracts, rules and
19regulations that are incidental to, or adopted under, a rental agreement.
AB1038,7,23 20(12) "Security deposit" means the total of all payments and deposits given by
21a tenant to the landlord as security for the performance of the tenant's obligations.
22The term does not include rent payments made in advance if such prepaid rent does
23not exceed the sum of 4 rent payments.
AB1038,8,2 24(13) "Tenancy" means occupancy, or a right to present occupancy under a rental
25agreement. The term includes periodic tenancies and tenancies at will but does not

1include the occupancy of a dwelling unit without consent of the landlord after the
2expiration of a lease or the termination of a tenancy.
AB1038,8,8 3(14) "Tenant" means a person occupying, or entitled to present or future
4occupancy of, a dwelling unit under a rental agreement. The term includes persons
5occupying dwelling units under periodic tenancies and tenancies at will, persons
6holding over after termination of tenancy until removed from the dwelling unit by
7sheriff's execution of a judicial writ of restitution issued under s. 799.44 and persons
8entitled to the return of a security deposit or an accounting for the security deposit.
AB1038,8,14 9704.92 Rental documents; deposit receipts. (1) Copy of rental
10agreement rules.
A rental agreement and any rules or regulations established by
11the landlord, if in writing, shall be furnished to a prospective tenant for inspection
12before the rental agreement is entered into and before any earnest money or security
13deposit is accepted from the prospective tenant. Copies shall be given to the tenant
14when the rental agreement is entered into.
AB1038,8,19 15(2) Receipt for tenant deposits. Immediately upon accepting any earnest
16money or security deposit, the landlord shall provide the tenant or prospective
17tenant with a written receipt for the deposit that states the nature of the deposit and
18its amount. Unless requested by the tenant, a receipt is not required if payment is
19made by a check bearing a notation describing the purpose for which it was given.
AB1038,8,23 20704.925 Disclosure requirements. (1) Identification of landlord or
21authorized agents.
(a) Except as provided under par. (c), the landlord shall disclose
22to the tenant in writing, at or before the time a rental agreement is entered into, the
23name and address of all of the following:
AB1038,8,2524 1. Any person who is authorized to collect or receive rent or manage and
25maintain the premises, and who can readily be contacted by the tenant.
AB1038,9,4
12. The owner of the premises or other person authorized to accept service of
2legal process and other notices and demands on behalf of the owner. The address
3disclosed under this subdivision shall be an address within the state at which service
4of process can be made in person.
AB1038,9,65 (b) The landlord and any successor of the landlord shall keep tenants informed
6of any changes in the information required under par. (a).
AB1038,9,87 (c) This subsection does not apply to an owner-occupied structure containing
8no more than 4 dwelling units.
AB1038,9,11 9(2) Code violations and conditions affecting habitability. Before entering
10into a rental agreement with or accepting any earnest money or security deposit from
11a prospective tenant, a landlord shall disclose to a prospective tenant:
AB1038,9,1912 (a) All uncorrected building or housing code violations of which the landlord
13has received notice from code enforcement authorities, which affect the individual
14dwelling unit or common areas of the premises and which materially affect the safety
15or habitability of the dwelling unit. Written disclosure shall be given to the
16prospective tenant concerning those portions of the building or housing code notices
17or orders which have not been fully complied with. Code violations shall not be
18considered corrected until their correction has been reported to code enforcement
19authorities.
AB1038,9,2220 (b) Any of the following conditions affecting habitability, if the landlord knows
21or could know on the basis of a reasonable inspection of the condition's existence,
22whether or not notice has been received from code enforcement authorities:
AB1038,9,2423 1. That the dwelling unit lacks hot and cold running water, plumbing or sewage
24disposal facilities in proper operating condition.
AB1038,10,4
12. That heating facilities serving the dwelling unit are not in safe operating
2condition, or are not capable of maintaining a temperature in the dwelling unit of at
3least 67 degrees Fahrenheit at a height of 3 feet above floor level in the center of a
4room when the air temperature outdoors is above minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit.
AB1038,10,105 3. That the electrical wiring, outlets, fixtures or other components of the
6electrical system are not in safe operating condition. If the dwelling units are
7metered separately and electrical service to the dwelling unit has been disconnected
8due to nonpayment by, or at the request of, the previous occupant, the landlord must
9disclose that condition under this subdivision only if the landlord has actual
10knowledge of the condition's existence.
AB1038,10,1411 4. Any structural or other conditions in the dwelling unit or premises which
12constitute a substantial hazard to the health or safety of the tenant or create an
13unreasonable risk of personal injury as a result of any reasonably foreseeable use of
14the premises other than negligent use or abuse of the premises by the tenant.
AB1038,10,21 15(3) Utility charges. A landlord shall disclose to a prospective tenant whether
16charges for water, heat or electricity are included in the rent before entering into a
17rental agreement with or accepting any earnest money or security deposit from the
18prospective tenant. If individual dwelling units and common areas are not
19separately metered and the charges are not included in the rent, the landlord shall
20disclose the basis on which charges for utility services will be allocated among
21individual dwelling units.
AB1038,11,2 22704.93 Earnest money deposits. (1) Refund or credit of earnest money
23deposit.
(a) If a rental application is rejected by a landlord, the entire amount of any
24earnest money deposit shall be refunded to the prospective tenant, less any actual
25costs, not exceeding $25, incurred for verification of the application or for a credit

1check if the application contained omissions or falsifications that contributed wholly
2or in part to the rejection.
AB1038,11,53 (b) If a rental agreement is entered into, the entire amount of any earnest
4money deposit shall be applied toward the payment of rent or a security deposit or
5returned to the tenant.
AB1038,11,11 6(2) Limitations on earnest money withholding. (a) No portion of an earnest
7money deposit may be permanently withheld by a landlord in excess of actual costs
8and damages incurred because of the failure of a prospective tenant to enter into a
9rental agreement. An earnest money deposit may not be permanently withheld as
10compensation for lost rents unless the landlord has made reasonable efforts to
11mitigate the rental loss in the manner provided in s. 704.29.
AB1038,11,1412 (b) Upon a written request by any person giving an earnest money deposit, the
13landlord shall provide that person with a written statement accounting for all
14amounts permanently withheld from the deposit.
AB1038,11,16 15704.935 Security deposits. (1) Check-in procedures; preexisting damages.
16Whenever a security deposit is required, the landlord shall do all of the following:
AB1038,11,2017 (a) Upon accepting a deposit, inform the tenant that he or she may inspect the
18dwelling unit and notify the landlord of any damages or defects existing at the
19beginning of the tenancy. The tenant shall be given at least 7 days after the
20beginning of the tenancy for the inspection and notification.
AB1038,12,221 (b) Upon the written request of a tenant, furnish the tenant with a written
22itemized description of any physical damages or defects for which deductions from
23the previous tenant's security deposit were made. The landlord may note, in
24connection with the damage description, whether the damage or defect has been
25repaired by the landlord. The landlord is not required to disclose the previous

1tenant's identity or the amounts withheld from the previous tenant's security
2deposit.
AB1038,12,6 3(2) Return of security deposits. (a) Except as provided in par. (b), a landlord
4shall return all security deposits to the tenant, less any amounts withheld by the
5landlord, within 21 days after the last day for which the tenant is legally liable for
6rent.
AB1038,12,127 (b) If a tenant vacates the premises before the end of the lease term, provides
8the landlord with written notice of his or her intention to vacate the premises before
9the end of the lease term and pays all rents and other charges for which the tenant
10is legally liable under the lease, the landlord shall return all security deposits to the
11tenant, less any amounts withheld by the landlord, within 21 days after the latest
12of the following:
AB1038,12,1413 1. The day on which the landlord receives the notice from the tenant of his or
14her intention to vacate the premises before the end of the lease term.
AB1038,12,1615 2. The day on which the landlord receives all rents and other charges for which
16the tenant is liable under the lease.
AB1038,12,1717 3. The day on which the tenant vacates the premises.
AB1038,12,1918 (c) All security deposits returned to a tenant shall be returned by the landlord
19in person or by mail to the last-known address of the tenant.
AB1038,12,24 20(3) Limitations on security deposit withholding; rebuttable presumption. (a)
21Except for other reasons clearly agreed upon in writing at the time that the rental
22agreement is entered into, other than in a form provision, security deposits may be
23withheld only for tenant damage, waste or neglect of the premises or for nonpayment
24of any of the following:
AB1038,13,2
11. Rent or other charges for which the tenant is legally responsible, subject to
2s. 704.29.
AB1038,13,43 2. Actual amounts owed for utility service provided by the landlord under terms
4of the rental agreement and not included in the rent.
AB1038,13,75 3. Actual amounts owed by the tenant for direct utility service provided by a
6government-owned utility, to the extent that the landlord becomes liable for the
7tenant's nonpayment.
AB1038,13,108 4. Mobile home parking fees assessed against the tenant by a local unit of
9government under s. 66.058 (3), to the extent that the landlord becomes liable for the
10tenant's nonpayment.
AB1038,13,1311 (b) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as authorizing any
12withholding for normal wear and tear or other damages or losses for which the tenant
13is not otherwise responsible under applicable law.
AB1038,13,1614 (c) Damage to a dwelling unit that occurs during a tenancy is rebuttably
15presumed to have been caused by the tenant's action or by the tenant's negligent
16failure to protect the dwelling unit.
AB1038,13,22 17(4) Security deposit withholding; statement of claims. (a) If any portion of
18a security deposit is withheld by a landlord, the landlord shall, within the time period
19and in the manner specified under sub. (2), deliver or mail to the tenant a written
20statement accounting for all amounts withheld. The statement shall describe each
21item of physical damage or other claim made against the security deposit and the
22amount withheld as reasonable compensation for each item or claim.
AB1038,13,2523 (b) No landlord may intentionally misrepresent or falsify any claim against a
24security deposit, including the cost of repairs, or withhold any portion of a security
25deposit on the basis of an intentionally falsified claim.
AB1038,14,6
1(c) A landlord is not in violation of this subsection for returning an erroneously
2withheld amount to the tenant after the time specified in sub. (2) if the landlord had
3a reasonable basis for withholding the amount and the amount is returned to the
4tenant with reasonable promptness after the error is discovered. The burden of proof
5is on the landlord to show that the basis for withholding the amount and the time
6within which the amount was returned were reasonable.
AB1038,14,11 7(5) Tenant failure to leave forwarding address. A landlord who has
8otherwise complied with this section is not in violation solely because the postal
9service has been unable to complete mail delivery to the person addressed. This
10subsection does not affect any other rights that a tenant may have under law to the
11return of a security deposit.
AB1038,14,17 12704.94 Promises to repair. (1) Date of completion. Every written promise
13made by a landlord to a tenant or prospective tenant to the effect that the dwelling
14unit or any other portion of the premises, including furnishings or facilities, will be
15cleaned, repaired or otherwise improved by the landlord shall specify the date on or
16time period within which the cleaning, repairs or improvements are anticipated to
17be completed.
AB1038,14,19 18(2) Initial promises in writing. All promises made before the initial rental
19agreement shall be in writing with a copy furnished to the tenant.
AB1038,15,2 20(3) Performance; unavoidable delays. A landlord shall make a reasonable
21attempt to complete the promised cleaning, repairs or improvements on the date or
22within the time period represented under sub. (1), unless the delay is for reason of
23war, acts of God, government regulation or decree, strikes, shortage of labor or
24materials, unseasonable weather conditions or other causes beyond the landlord's
25control. The landlord shall give timely notice to the tenant of reasons beyond the

1landlord's control for any delay in performance and shall state when the cleaning,
2repairs or improvements are anticipated to be completed.
AB1038,15,4 3704.945 Prohibited rental agreement provisions. No rental agreement
4may do any of the following:
AB1038,15,6 5(1) Authorize the eviction or exclusion of a tenant from the premises other than
6by judicial eviction procedures under ch. 799.
AB1038,15,10 7(2) Provide for an acceleration of rent payments in the event of tenant default
8or breach of obligations under the rental agreement or otherwise purport to waive
9the landlord's obligation to mitigate damages in the manner provided under s.
10704.29.
AB1038,15,12 11(3) Authorize the landlord or any agent of the landlord to confess judgment
12against the tenant in any action arising under the rental agreement.
AB1038,15,16 13(4) Relieve, or purport to relieve, the landlord from liability for property
14damage or personal injury caused by negligent acts or omissions of the landlord. This
15subsection does not affect ordinary maintenance obligations for which the tenant is
16responsible under the rental agreement or under s.704.07.
AB1038,15,17 17(5) Impose, or purport to impose, liability on a tenant for any of the following:
AB1038,15,1818 (a) Personal injury arising from causes clearly beyond the tenant's control.
AB1038,15,2219 (b) Property damage caused by natural disasters or by persons other than the
20tenant or the tenant's guests or invitees. This paragraph does not affect ordinary
21maintenance obligations for which the tenant is responsible under the rental
22agreement or under s. 704.07.
AB1038,15,25 23(6) Provide for the waiver of any statutory or other legal obligation on the part
24of the landlord to deliver the premises in a fit or habitable condition or to maintain
25the premises during tenancy.
AB1038,16,4
1(7) Require payment by a tenant of attorney fees or costs incurred by the
2landlord in any legal action or dispute arising under the rental agreement. This
3subsection does not prohibit the recovery by a landlord or tenant of attorney fees or
4costs that are ordered by a court under ch. 799 or 814.
AB1038,16,11 5704.95 Prohibited practices. (1) Advertising or rental of condemned
6premises.
No landlord may rent or advertise for rent any premises that have been
7placarded and condemned for human habitation or any premises regarding which a
8notice of intent to placard and condemn or an order to raze or to rehabilitate or raze
9or any similar order has been received under state or local laws or ordinances, unless
10all repairs required to bring the property into compliance with the laws or ordinances
11have been completed.
AB1038,16,22 12(2) Unauthorized entry. No landlord may enter a dwelling unit during tenancy
13except to inspect the premises, make repairs or show the premises to prospective
14tenants or purchasers, as authorized under s. 704.05 (2). Entry may not be made
15except at reasonable times and upon at least 12 hours' advance notice unless the
16tenant, upon being notified of the proposed entry, consents to a shorter time period.
17This subsection does not apply to situations in which the tenant requests or consents
18to a proposed entry at a specified time; the tenant requests specified repairs and the
19repairs are made during normal working hours within 2 weeks after the tenant's
20request for the repair; a health or safety emergency exists, the tenant is absent and
21the landlord reasonably believes that entry is necessary to protect the premises from
22damage; or entry is otherwise authorized in writing other than in a form provision.
AB1038,17,2 23(3) Automatic lease renewal without notice. No landlord shall enforce, or
24attempt to enforce, an automatic renewal or extension provision in any lease unless,
25as provided under s. 704.15, the tenant was given separate written notice of the

1pending automatic renewal or extension at least 15 days but not more than 30 days
2before the effective date of the automatic renewal or extension.
AB1038,17,7 3(4) Confiscation of personal property. No landlord may seize or hold a
4tenant's personal property or otherwise prevent the tenant from having access to or
5removing his or her personal property, except as authorized under s. 704.05 (5) or
6799.45 (3) (am), or under a lien agreement entered into in writing other than in a form
7provision.
AB1038,17,12 8(5) Retaliatory eviction. A landlord may not terminate a tenancy or give
9notice preventing the automatic renewal of a lease or constructively evict a tenant
10by any means including the termination or substantial reduction of heat, water or
11electricity to the dwelling unit solely in retaliation against a tenant because the
12tenant has done any of the following:
AB1038,17,1413 (a) Reported a violation of this chapter or a building or housing code to any
14governmental authority or filed suit alleging such a violation.
AB1038,17,1515 (b) Joined or attempted to organize a tenant's union or association.
AB1038,17,1716 (c) Asserted, or attempted to assert, any right specifically accorded to tenants
17under state or local law.
AB1038,17,21 18(6) Failure to deliver possession. A landlord shall deliver possession of the
19dwelling unit to the tenant at the time agreed upon in the rental agreement, unless
20the landlord is unable to deliver possession because of circumstances beyond the
21landlord's control.
AB1038,17,24 22704.955 Effect of rules on local ordinances. (1) This subchapter does not
23prohibit or nullify any local government ordinance that is not in direct conflict with
24this subchapter.
AB1038,18,3
1(2) In the event of any direct conflict between this subchapter and any local
2government ordinance such that complying with one results in violating the other,
3this subchapter is controlling.
AB1038, s. 10 4Section 10. 757.69 (1) (d) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB1038,18,75 757.69 (1) (d) In small claims actions, conduct initial return appearance and
6conciliation conferences and all proceedings related to eviction actions, except trials
7to a jury
.
AB1038, s. 11 8Section 11. 799.05 (3) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB1038,18,149 799.05 (3) (b) Except in eviction actions, the return date for a summons served
10upon a resident of this state shall be not less than 8 days nor more than 30 days from
11the issue date, and service shall be made not less than 8 days prior to the return date.
12In eviction actions, the return date for a summons served upon a resident of this state
13shall be not less than 5 days nor more than 30 15 days from the issue date, and service
14shall be made not less than 5 days prior to the return date.
AB1038, s. 12 15Section 12. 799.206 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB1038,18,2216 799.206 (3) When all parties appear in person or by their attorneys on the
17return date in an eviction, a garnishment or replevin action and any party claims
18that a contest exists, the matter shall be forthwith scheduled for a hearing, to be held
19as soon as possible before a judge. When all parties appear in person or by their
20attorneys on the return date in an eviction action and any party claims that a contest
21exists, the matter shall be forthwith scheduled for a hearing, to be held before a judge
22or court commissioner within 5 working days.
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