Important legal and consumer resources
City of Milwaukee/My Milwaukee home
Enter the address of the property in which you're interested. You may be asked for clarification on the property address. On the property information page, click on "see details" next to the heading "Property Recording, Code Violations, Service Requests, and Permits." On the next page you can select any of these categories for more information. If you have questions, you may contact the Department of Neighborhood Services at (414) 286-2268.
Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (WCCA)
This Web site provides public access to the records of the Wisconsin circuit courts. Records include lawsuits in which a landlord may have been involved. Enter the property owner's name or the name of the rental company for more information regarding their history with the Wisconsin Court System. Many of these records may be evictions that the landlord has brought against delinquent tenants, so it is important to sort out landlord violations from tenant violations before making a rental decision based on this information. These records are open to public view under Wisconsin's Open Records law, sections 19.31-19.39, Wisconsin Statutes.
Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic
The Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic consists of local lawyers and Marquette law students who donate their time to address legal concerns of the Marquette neighborhood. This is a good resource for any legal questions you might have, especially: evictions, security deposits, earnest money, specific lease clauses, or getting out of lease. If you need assistance with any of these matters, it is always a good idea to have a copy of your lease and all correspondence or documents you have had with your landlord. The clinic is located at the House of Peace Community Center, 1702 West Walnut Street. The clinic is usually open on Tuesdays from 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm. Please call for information (414) 933-1300.
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer protection
Milwaukee office phone: (414) 266-1231
If you believe your landlord is engaging in unfair or illegal rental practices, you can contact the Department of Consumer Protection to file a complaint. They also publish The
Landlord/Tenant Guide, which explains important legal issues pertaining to
renting in Wisconsin. You can
download a copy of this booklet as a PDF on the Consumer Protection website. More in-depth information can be found in The Wisconsin Way: A
Guide for Landlords and Tenants.
