Training for Landlords on New Smoke Detector Ordinance

Landlords must have complied with the new smoke detector ordinances by August 15th, and there is training to help landlords make sure they are in compliance!

Madison Smoke Alarm Orientation Programs Offered May 14
by Madison Fire Department & Building Inspection Department

Madison area rental property owners are invited and encouraged to attend a training session relative to the type of smoke alarms required and permitted by the new smoke alarm ordinance for the City of Madison. The training will assist you and your staff in purchasing and installing the correct alarms. City staff will be available to answer your specific questions. Please consider attending. Three identical sessions will be offered:

Thursday, May 14, 2009
9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M.
Overture Center
201 State Street
Promenade Hall

For rental housing, the alarms must be installed by August 15, 2009.

If you have not purchased your alarms or have purchased them and are unsure about installation requirements, this brief program is your opportunity to ask questions. We encourage you to make time to attend one of the three offerings on May 14th.

If you have questions about the program or the ordinance, you are welcome to call the AASCW offices at 826-6226.

Read more!

Blatant Housing Discrimination Still Not a Thing of the Past.

You'd think this kind of thing doesn't happen any more. From the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Center:

LANDLORDS DENIED HOUSING TO SINGLE MOM WITH TWO KIDS: HOUSING DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINT SETTLES

West Allis, Wisconsin – Kanita Brawley has settled a housing discrimination complaint against the Joseph Peltz Trusts and Crystal Sahr, the owners and manager of rental housing in West Allis. Brawley alleged that co-trustees of the Peltz Trusts and their property manager, Crystal Sahr, had illegally denied her the opportunity to rent an apartment based on the presence of children in her household. Discrimination based on familial status, meaning the presence of minor children in the household, is prohibited by state and federal fair housing law. As part of the settlement, the Peltz Trusts co-trustees, Arnold and Rebecca Peltz, agreed to pay $18,000 to Brawley. The Peltzes and Sahr also agreed to undergo fair housing training.

Brawley's complaint stemmed from her April 2007 interaction with Sahr. Brawley called Sahr to inquire about an apartment for rent at an 8-unit building on South 115th Court in West Allis. Sahr asked Brawley if the apartment was for her, and Brawley replied that it would be for herself and her two daughters. Sahr told her that tenants with children were not accepted.

"I was frustrated, angry and hurt," says Brawley of her experience. "My daughters, who were 10 and 11 at the time, kept questioning why it happened. They thought it was their fault." Brawley contacted the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council (MMFHC). MMFHC counseled Brawley on her fair housing rights and options for pursuing her complaint. MMFHC also investigated Brawley's allegation using an investigative method known as "testing." During the investigation, Sahr told a tester with children that the landlords "didn't rent to families with kids anymore." In contrast, Sahr provided a tester without children information about the apartment, including the rent and date of availability. Brawley subsequently filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Wisconsin Equal Rights Division (ERD). In August 2007, the ERD issued a Charge and Initial Determination finding probable cause to believe that Sahr and the Peltzes violated the Wisconsin Open Housing Law.

In the course of the HUD investigation, Sahr and the Peltzes maintained that they did permit families with children on the first floor, but no children had resided in the property for approximately a year and a half at the time of the HUD investigation. It is illegal under fair housing law to restrict children to certain areas of the building.

Brawley says that when she experienced discrimination, "I knew it was illegal, but I have friends and family members who wouldn't know that. I hope all people are aware of their rights. Now that the settlement has occurred, I am happy and relieved that [the Peltzes and Sahr] will have to adhere to fair housing laws, and that it will be fair to everyone else who comes through and applies."

###

MMFHC is a private, non-profit organization whose purpose is to promote fair housing throughout the State of Wisconsin by guaranteeing all people equal access to housing opportunities and by creating and maintaining racially and economically integrated housing patterns. It operates satellite offices in Dane County (the Fair Housing Center of Greater Madison) and in Northeast Wisconsin (the Fair Housing Center of Northeast Wisconsin).

Persons who feel they may have experienced illegal housing discrimination should call 1-877-647-FAIR, a toll-free number. Callers within the 414 area code may call 414-278-1240. All services to victims of illegal housing discrimination are free of charge.

Read more!

Safety and Security Deposit Tips

More from the Tenant Resource Center for those who survived the "moving daze" . . .

Be Safe in Your New Apartment and Protect Next Year’s Security Deposit – Tips from
TRC

Much of the moving out is over...but the Tenant Resource Center has some tips for those moving in. Know how to keep your new apartment safe and protect your new security deposit from illegal withholding next year!

BE SAFE IN YOUR NEW APARTMENT

Be sure to inspect your new unit closely for locks and other safety features, and report anything that is not functioning properly to the landlord right away. Be aware of your surroundings while you are moving and stay safe!

Door locks, chains, and deadbolts. Always lock your doors—even when you are home.
Don’t make your apartment and yourself easy targets for intruders by propping your door open or leaving it unlocked for friends or roommates. Always use your deadbolt, and if you don’t have one at least an inch long, request that your landlord install one.

Sliding doors. Unsecured sliding doors are a common target for unauthorized entry. Be
sure to use your patio door lock, plus a secondary locking device such as a “charlie bar”—a brace that prevents the door from sliding open and is hard to dislodge from the outside.

Window and ventilation locks. All first floor and second floor windows are required to have both regular locks, which do not allow the window to open at all, and ventilation locks, which allow the window to open a few inches for ventilation but not wide enough to allow entry. These locks, when installed and used properly, will not allow entry without breaking glass. If locks are missing or don’t work, request repairs.

Security-locked entrances. Controlled-access buildings are only secure if the common
doors remain closed and locked when not in use. Remember, if you prop them open, you are compromising the safety of the whole building. Security locking systems are required in Madison for common entrances.

Keys. Never label your keys or key chain with your house or unit number. If you lose
them, your apartment will be at risk. Landlords are not obligated to change the locks between tenants, but if you’d like the locks rekeyed and the landlord does not want to do it, you could offer to pay for the rekeying. You can ask your landlord for extra sets of keys, but you may be required to pay a small deposit.

Door viewer. Always use your door viewer before you open your door for someone. If
the door viewer is broken or not provided, notify the landlord.

Common area lighting. Be sure hallways and basements have adequate lighting. If bulbs
are burned out, notify the landlord right away. Common area lighting is required by Madison General Ordinances. Parking lots for more than three cars must have lighting.

Getting repairs completed. In most instances, the above-mentioned security measures
are required by local building codes. Always notify the landlord if repairs are needed. If the landlord does not respond in a timely manner, call the City of Madison building inspector at 266-4551.

If your apartment is in poor condition when you move in, contact the landlord
immediately to report the repairs and cleaning that need to be done and negotiate a deadline for those to be completed. If the landlord agrees to compensate you for cleaning or repairs that you perform, be sure to put your agreement in writing, whether it’s a reimbursement or a rent credit or some other arrangement.

FOLLOW THESE TIPS TO PROTECT NEXT YEAR’S SECURITY DEPOSIT

Fill out a check-in form and make sure you keep a copy. In the City of Madison the
landlord is required to furnish you with one; if s/he doesn't, s/he cannot deduct for cleaning or damages. If you need a check-in form for your new apartment, download one from TRC’s website at http://www.tenantresourcecenter.org/forms/. NO INTERNET ACCESS? STOP AT TRC FOR FREE CHECK-IN FORMS AND MUCH MORE! When you arrive at your new
place, take the time to thoroughly inspect your apartment and document ALL existing damage and wear and tear on your check-in form, so that you won’t be charged for those items when you move out next year. Read more!

Downtown "Moving Days" Are Coming!

If you live or work downtown, you know that the busiest time of the summer is upon us when downtown area renters (not just students! but most anyone who rents downtown!) are stuck in the chaotic week-long nightmare optimistically called "Moving Day". This is the time when the downtown is awash in moving trucks and the resulting traffic jams, temporarily homeless individuals (transients?! Alert the police!) with apartments full of earthly possessions packed into anything that moves, plus tons and tons of garbage.

The Tenant Resource Center has some tips for those moving (with my editorial and sometimes snarky comments in parentheses!). Following these tips can help feed the hungry, save the environment, and closer to your wallet, help you get your security deposit back hassle free.

REDUCE, RECYCLE,REUSE - DONATE USABLE ITEMS
Area organizations are sponsoring "Moving Days" to help tenants cope with unwanted items as they move. Goodwill Industries and St. Vincent de Paul Stores have downtown drop-off sites as well as their regular donation pick-up services. Donate any usable clothing; unopened, nonperishable food items; dishes, pots and pans; decorative items; furniture and other functional household items at the following pick-up sites:

Broom & Mifflin (Near Capitol Centre Foods): Goodwill truck
August 11—13, 11 am—5 pm; August 14, 8 am—2:00 p.m.

Gorham & Henry (One block off State Street): St. Vincent de Paul truck
August 11—14, 9 am—9 pm

Regent & Mills (Behind McDonalds in UW Lot 51): St. Vincent de Paul truck
August 11—14, 9 am—9 pm

More information on donation sites.

(I haven't heard anything official, but watch for the impromptu recycling efforts on the corner of S. Ingersoll and E. Wilson Street (Central Park) where you can pick up (free!) or drop off usable items.)

TRASH
The City of Madison also requests that tenants recycle and remove trash properly as they move out of their apartments. Check out the City's website at for recycling and trash removal guidelines.

Additionally, the City is urging people to put their trash out on multiple days so that the trash stays in the carts to the extent possible.

TIPS TO PROTECT YOUR SECURITY DEPOSIT
- Schedule a check-out time with your landlord, if possible. If there is a dispute about something, it can often be quickly resolved by talking with your landlord in person. For example, you could decide to clean the stove better or just pay the cost for the landlord to do it, or other similar items pointed out during a check-out inspection.

- Fill out a check-out form and make sure you keep a copy. In the City of Madison the
landlord is required to furnish you with one; if s/he doesn't, s/he cannot deduct for cleaning or damages. If you need a check-out form, or a check-in form for your new apartment, download them from TRC’s website for free!

- Clean your apartment. It should be as clean as when you moved in.

- Take photographs or make a video tape if necessary to document the apartment's condition.

- Get a disinterested witness (not relatives or roommates) to walk through with you to verify the state of the apartment and its cleanliness; try to get a written statement from them or a future address where they can be contacted should the need arise.

- Forward your mail and leave your new address with your landlord. All correspondence and security deposit returns will be sent to your last known address unless otherwise specified in your lease.

- When you arrive at your new place, take the time to thoroughly inspect your apartment and document ALL existing damage and wear and tear on your check-in form, so that you won’t be charged for those items when you move out next year.

TENANT RESOURCE CENTER AVAILABLE THIS WEEKEND!
Tenant Resource Center (TRC) is open for calls and walk-ins, no appointment necessary, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m.to 6:00 p.m. at 1202 Williamson Street, Suite A in Madison, call 608-257-0006. Outside Dane County 877-238-RENT.

In addition to normal business hours, TRC will have information tables at two community events in Madison this weekend, on August 16 and 17:

AFRICA FEST at Warner Park, Saturday August 16, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

TRIANGLE ETHNIC FEST at the “Triangle” at Braxton Place, Sunday August 17, from 11:00
a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Please visit TRC at these two locations if you have moving-related or other rental problems over the weekend.

EAST GORHAM
Yes, you will be able to get to/from E Gorham if you are moving!

STATE STREET
Here's some moving instructions for State Street.
Read more!

Water, Water, Everywhere . . . And how to clean it up.

So, with all this flooding, the Tenant Resource Center gets lots of people asking questions about what the landlord has to clean up the mess and how to you know when it is good enough. The problem is equally difficult for all the homeowners who have flooding. The Dane County/Madison Health Department has these words of advice:

CLEANING CONTAMINATED BASEMENTS AND AVOIDING MOLD GROWTH
Flooded basements provide an ideal environment for mold and bacteria. When things get wet for more than two days they usually get moldy. Mold may cause significant health problems for building inhabitants. It is very important to take action to prevent mold from growing. Following is a brief overview of steps you should take:

• The EPA recommends that you wear protective clothing to protect yourself from becoming ill when cleaning. Protective clothing includes the following: An N-95 respirator mask (more protective than the dust mask), goggles, rubber gloves, long pants, long sleeved shirt, and boots or work shoes.
• Dry the flooded space within 48-hours. This greatly improves your chances of avoiding a mold problem in the future.
• Remove and throw out porous materials that have been soaked by floodwaters, such as carpets, drywall, insulation, and manufactured wood products.
o Sometimes these materials can be salvaged if they are cleaned and dried completely within 48 hours.
• If drywall has been damaged, cut and remove the drywall up to at least one foot above the water line to ensure all wet drywall is removed.
• Clean with soap and water first, then disinfect with a diluted bleach solution (1 and 2/3rd cup bleach to 1 gallon of water) to control mold and bacteria.
- Do not use full strength bleach. This increases the chance of breathing problems and does not increase disinfection.
• Allow flooded spaces to dry thoroughly before rebuilding the walls or laying new carpet. It may be necessary to use large fans and dehumidifiers to dry the space completely.

For further information including detailed instructions for eliminating and preventing mold call the Department of Public Health for Madison and Dane County at (608) 266-4821.

Additional information is available at the following:

Public Health Madison and Dane County

American Red Cross (Repairing Your Flooded Home)

WI Department of Natural Resources

US Environmental Protection Agency

Also, it not just your homes that are problematic. Outside is an issue as well:

WATER QUALITY OF RIVERS AND LAKES
Due to surcharging of the Madison Metropolitan Sewage District public waste water system (sanitary sewer system), wastewater was discharged to the Yahara River in the Cherokee Park area, Starkweather Creek in the vicinity of US Highway 51 and also at Milwaukee Street and to Lake Monona at Waunona Way. Thus, both Lakes Mendota and Monona are considered to be unsafe for swimming and recreating until further notice and all beaches are closed. PHMDC will be monitoring lake water in the beach areas of those lakes to determine when it is safe to enter the water. It is unknown how long the lakes will be unsafe for recreating but additional rains in the near future will likely cause additional problems. Although we do not have any other specific reports of discharges to other lakes, heavy rains always carry many contaminates into lakes so swimming is not advised on other lakes at the present time.

And, if you aren't on a city water system and have your own well, this information will be important:

PRIVATE WELLS
If you or your neighbor's well head has been covered by flood water, there is a high risk that your water supply will be contaminated. Water that is cloudy, colored or bad smelling is a sure sign of contamination and should not be used for drinking, making juice, baby food or ice cubes or for rinsing food or dishes. Even if water from a flooded well looks clear, the safest approach is to assume it has been contaminated.

In these conditions, you should rely on bottled water, or water from a known safe source. If you must use water from the well, it should be boiled for one minute at a rolling boil. Testing your well water is something that should be done routinely every year. In flood conditions you should have your water tested for bacteria and other contaminants as soon as possible.

It is very important that the water from a flooded well be tested. Testing for bacteria is available to householders in Dane County with flooded wells though the Public Health Madison and Dane County (PHMDC) Laboratory at (608) 266-4821. The Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene at (608) 224-6262, is also available for such testing.

Wells that test positive for bacterial contamination must be disinfected. For information on how to properly disinfect your well, go to:
http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/health/InjuryPrevention/Disasterhealthsafety/WellDisinfection.htm

I asked my mom, who is a bookkeeper for the Sauk County Health Department what her role is in an emergency situation like this. Of course, she keeps track of the costs of all the extra supplies that need to be ordered . . . extra written materials and information, tetanus shots and well test kits were some of the things she mentioned. Read more!

Who's Crack House is it?

When I read things in the news like "He said he knew the men from a "crack house" in the 500 block of West Wilson Street, which abuts the backyard of Zimmermann's apartment." I just have to ask "OK - so who's the landlord who has a crack house?". If the line from this article yesterday is correct, here's the possibilities from the assessors office. I left off the ones that appeared to be owner occupied, because while I suppose it's possible, I decided it was highly unlikely and they shouldn't be included:

• 070923133361 508 W Wilson St JACOBS JR, GEORGE F
• 070923133337 512 W Wilson St B5 CHRISTIANSON VENTURES LLC #168
• 070923133337 518 W Wilson St CHRISTIANSON VENTURES LLC #168
• 070923133329 522 W Wilson St DERR, MICHAEL
• 070923133303 526 W Wilson St 526 WEST WILSON LLC
• 070923133303 530 W Wilson St 526 WEST WILSON LLC
• 070923133296 532 W Wilson St COUTRE' TRUST % MADISON PROPERTY MGMT
• 070923133262 542 W Wilson St COUTRE', SCOTT D
• 070923133254 544 W Wilson St COUTRE', SCOTT D
• 070923133246 546 W Wilson St HANSEN LIVING TRUST N & F HANSEN, TRUSTEES
• 070923133238 548 W Wilson St MEYER, JEFFREY J

Of course, that wasn't my first thought when I read that awesome piece of reporting from Jason Shepard about the 911 call and Brittany Zimmerman. I think I was stunned for at least a half hour, then sick, then angry, then determined to do something about it, then angry again, then sad for her family, still feeling sick, then angry enough to want someone's head on a platter. Rumor has it, Progressive Dane County Board Supervisors will be asking for an audit of the 911 center. While that might make sure it won't happen again, it seems so inadequate for the anger that I feel.
Read more!

Worst House In Madison Contest Returns

Below is a message from the Student Tenant Union, it includes information on Tenant Education Week as well as the Worst House in Madison Contest:

Hey UW students,

Do you think you have the worst landlord in Madison? Does your roof leak?
Has nothing been replaced in your apartment since before you were born?
Does it feel like you live in a third world slum? Lead paint peeling of
the walls? You name it...we want to hear about!

What you have to do to win: Submit a narrative description as well as
pictures or video that explain why you think your landlord is the worst in
Madison. Submit entries either by emailing Student Tenant Union directly
at <stuuwmad@gmail.com> or by going to our website at
<http://studenttenantunion.rso.wisc.edu>.

Why would you want to do this: You and every other student on this campus
deserve more than a crappy apartment...and you certainly pay for way more
than you get. Let's show Madison landlords thart it is time for them to
clean up their act. And it will be fun!

What you get if you win: Most importantly, you'll have the joy of
publicly humiliating your landlord. Student Tenant Union will hold a
press conference outside the house or building of the winning entry. When
bad landlords are exposed, student renters take note (for an example from
2002 when ASM ran the Worst House in Madison Contest, visit
<http://badgerherald.com/news/2002/04/25/doty_residence_wins_.php>).
Secondly, Student Tenant Union will document the problems with the
apartment, and call the Madison Building Inspector on behalf of the
winning tenants. In acknowledgment of a full year spent living in
horrible conditions, the winning entry will also receive some small prizes
including 4 gift certificates to Hawk's Bar & Grill.

What do you get if you don't win: All entries will receive a response from
Student Tenant Union volunteers that outlines the parts of tenant/landlord
law that apply to their situation. Additionally, all entries will be
saved in our database, and can be viewed by future prospective tenants who
want to know about past problems people have had with a certain landlord.

Questions about the contest? contact Student Tenant Union at
<stuuwmad@gmail.com> or call Jason Wargolet at 414-840-5595.

What can you do about your crappy living situation?

Come to Tenant Education Week sponsored by the Student Tenant Union,
UW-Madison and Students for Social Welfare. All week we'll have housing
counselors on hand to help you with your questions and concerns and to
help you prepare for moving into your next apartment. We'll also hold
Renters' Rights Presentations at both Memorial Union and Union South.
This is a great opportunity to learn about your rights and get involved.

Housing Counseling: Direct assistance on problems you're having with your
landlord.
Monday--Memorial Union, 10-2
Tuesday--Union South, 9-1
Wednesday--Union South, 10-2
Thursday--Memorial Union, 12-4

Renters' Rights Presentations: Learn what you need to know about topics
such as tenant protections, moving into your new apartment, how to
document problems, what to do about repairs, or what can and cannot be
deducted from your security deposit.
Tuesday, April 22nd, 7PM-8:30, Memorial Union TITU
Thursday, April 24th, 6PM-7:30, Union South TITU

Questions about Tenant Education Week? Want to find out how to help/get
more involved?

Join our face book group: search for "Student Tenant Union"

Read more!

The Other WMC.

The recent news that Wisconsin Management Company won't let the finance of Brittany Zimmerman out of his lease shines a light on what most consider a flaw in Wisconsin law and the probably not-so-surprising heartlessness of a particular management company. People keep asking me what can be done. Unfortunately, the Student Tenant Union suggestion of a rent strike to put pressure on the management company may be one way to get the company to do the right thing. It's clear from the interactions Channel 27 and the Wisconsin State Journal have had with president of this company, Russ Endres, that he is not backing down.

At first I thought that maybe there was a small landlord who owned the property and they would be struggling if they lost a few months worth of rent. Then I found out that the owner of the property, Carl and Janet VanRooy are partners of Wisconsin Management Company and own and manage properties in Indianapolis, Kansas City, Michigan and Florida as well as own at least a dozen others in Madison.

I also thought maybe some staff person at the company was just following company policy and following the rules and not thinking outside the box. Apparently, that wasn't the case either. Their first excuse was that they haven't talked to Jordan and can't talk to anyone else on his behalf. Seems ridiculous because the Dean of Student Office have tried to contact them several times on Jordan's behalf who likely is not in any condition to be dealing with these things.

Their second excuse for not doing the right this is that they are using the old landlord stand-by of "we have to treat everyone the same". Ummm . . . ok, so what would be wrong with every time someone gets murdered in your apartment, you let the roommates out of the lease? That would be treating everyone the same.

At the Tenant Resource Center, one of the worst jobs we have is telling family members of the deceased, typically an elderly person who died, that they are still responsible for paying the rent. Luckily, most landlords do the right thing and figure out how to work things out with the family and just charge them rent until the family gets the deceased's property out of the apartment and then forgive the rest of the lease. Unfortunately, that means that Brittany Zimmerman/her family, who is jointly and severally liable, is also still responsible for her rent. For the last few sessions, someone at the capital has tried to change this law, but so far, no success.

At this point, the best advice Tenant Resource Center can give to Jordan is to write a letter to his landlord telling them when he will have his stuff out of the apartment. At that point, it becomes the landlords responsibility to "mitigate their damages", meaning they have to try to re-rent the apartment with all of the typical advertising methods they typically use. Jordan then becomes responsible for those costs plus rent until a new renter is found or the lease expires. If he doesn't pay, the landlord would have to take him to small claims court to get a judgment for the money. More information available here.

Meanwhile, I'm sure the tenants of Wisconsin Management Company are wondering what could happen to them if they participate in the rent strike. Very generally speaking, this is what could happen:

If the tenants have a year's lease and they haven't gotten a 5-day notice for non-payment of rent in the past year, the first thing that will happen is that they will get a 5-day notice to pay their rent. Then they will have to make a decision. Should they pay their rent within the 5 days, with no consequences, or stand behind Jordan (and Brittany) and not pay their rent. If they don't pay their rent, Wisconsin Management Company will have to take them to court. At court, the tenants face another choice. If the write out a check on the spot, the court will likely stop the eviction action. The court may make them pay court costs and attorney fees. If the tenant chooses to get evicted, they could move out or they could make the sheriff serve them and Wisconsin Management Company would have to hire bonded movers or put up their own bond to move all the stuff of all the tenants who refuse to move. In order to get their things back they would need to pay the storage fees. Tenants who worked it out would risk getting a bad landlord reference for the one non-payment of rent and if they are late on their rent again in the next year, the landlord could give them a 14 day notice without a right to cure. If they went to court, they would have an "eviction on their record", however, if they settle in court the case would be dismissed and technically they would not be evicted. More on the eviction process here.

It is important to know that there are retaliation laws in place to protect tenants. Simply joining a tenant union or enforcing your rights (calling the building inspector to get repairs done) means that a landlord cannot retaliate against you. More info on retaliation here.

Meanwhile, I hope some of the business organizations in town, of which Wisconsin Management Company is a member, such as the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Madison Inc. and the Apartment Association of South Central Wisconsin will try to talk some sense into the Russ Endres, the President of this company.

Whatever happens, I hope Wisconsin Management Company moves quickly to get this resolved and does the right thing. Otherwise, they get the dubious honor of taking the Isthmus "Landlord from Hell" title from the now deceased Bill Kozak.
Read more!

Busted.

All the gossip, inside info and rumors one can take on a Friday.

Before I start, let me explain. The phrase "don't blog this" is very common in my world. Generally speaking, I assume most things people tell me or email me are "off the record". If I blog something and attribute it to someone, I have either asked their permission, they said it publicly enough that my blog is likely only giving it more exposure or I protect their identity.

A second thing that happens is people tell me all kinds of things that they want leaked, but don't want to be responsible for. Much of that doesn't make it to the internet. With those items, I try to verify as much as what I can. Sometimes I end up on wild goose chases. Other times, I can't confirm enough to write about it. Sometimes, without a source being revealed it isn't credible. And sometimes, I get a good tip and it ends up a blog.

Every once in a while the system breaks down, but I try to be careful and protect people. More frequently I end up with people demanding corrections. Those are tough to know how to handle since I don't like changing something I posted, but if I feel they have a good point, I'll add a note to the post, but leave the original intact.

This blog, is a whole lot of odds and ends that don't merit a full post but are too good not to share or odd tidbits, or some of those slightly wobbly items I don't feel so comfortable about but came from a reliable source . . . so here goes! Watch out, cuz you're busted!

WISCONSIN MANAGEMENT COMPANY
I've heard from an incredibly credible source that they are refusing to let Brittany Zimmerman's finance out of his lease. Not only is he stuck until August 15th, but for another entire year. Additionally, they were refusing to change the locks on the apartment upstairs. While legally what they are doing might be ok, good corporate citizens they are not.

(FWIW - If you ever are told you can't break your lease, that's not entirely true. You should write a letter to the landlord, tell them you are breaking your lease and stop paying your rent. You will be responsible for the costs, excluding time spent showing apartments, of re-renting and rent until someone new moves in IF the landlord does what they normally do to rent the apartment. More info here. When it comes to locks, tenants are allowed to change the locks if they feel the safety is in jeopardy, but they have to give a key to the landlord "as soon as practicable" and the tenant has to pay the costs. Sometimes, despite the protestations, our tenant protections laws simply are not as strong as we would like. More info at the Tenant Resource Center.)

MAYORS OFFICE & MBJ (& FORMERLY THE ISTHMUS)
When the Mayor sent out his 2008 State of the City Address, they left some editing notes in one section. The notes were attributed to MBJ. Kristian Knutson's blog post originally noted that the edits were in there and the pdf posted to the internet had the edit bubbles on it. Those disappeared and the post was changed. Since I know who MBJ is, ILMAO . . . Giggle. I even know what the B stands for! Giggle. (This one is going to get me in trouble! But it falls in the too-good-not-to-share category. Sorry MBJ.)

NOTE: I guess I missed the pdf notes the second time I looked at it and the Knutson article is now back and has those original comments.

AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE OF PARK COMMISSION TO STUDY PROBLEM OF ALCOHOL AND RELATED BEHAVIORS IN CITY PARKS
This one I feel a little bit bad about. I was asked to make a correction or apologize about the blog post yesterday about the action the Parks Commission took on Brittingham Park. I'll explain in the next section. While "discussing" this with the chair of the Parks Commission he asked me why I hadn't been attending the abovementioned longest-title-in-the-city committee.

Heh . . . well. Dang. I haven't been attending cuz I didn't know they were meeting. The chair says that the committee has been meeting for a year. If that were true, it likely would have shown up on my "week ahead" schedules. So, I went back and looked at the "Notice of Additional Meetings" to find out when they met. All I could find was one meeting on November 8th, 2007. Either they've been meeting illegally, or the statement by the chair was incorrect. I'm not sure which. I've haven't heard back from him after I asked if they had been meeting illegally. And I hope that they just haven't met lately.

THE MAYORS OFFICE
In sending out the plan for Brittingham Park the Mayor's Office made the following statement:

For the past several months, a group of stakeholders has been meeting to address the long-standing problems in Brittingham Park. These stakeholders include governmental agencies (Madison Police, Madison Parks, Madison City Attorney, CDBG Office, Office of Community Services, Mayor’s Office, Alderperson Julia Kerr, Dane County Human Services, etc.), neighborhood groups (especially the Monona Bay Neighborhood Association), service providers (Porchlight, Madison Apprenticeship Program, etc.) and advocacy groups like Operation Welcome Home. The purpose of these meetings and discussion is to ensure that Brittingham Park and its surrounding neighborhoods are safe and enjoyable.

The stakeholder group recognizes that there are opportunities to improve the quality of life both in and around the park. This group has worked to identify possible responses to the various issues, and, to that end, Mayor Cieslewicz and Alderperson Kerr are directing the following steps be taken to improve and enjoy Brittingham Park:

And at the Parks Commission meeting it appeared as though these groups were in support. I talked to two of the groups mentioned above. Both of them said they were not involved in these discussions or that it was a mistake to represent them as agreeing with the plan. (Plan in this blog post.)

This is as good of a point as any to point out the "mistake" in yesterday's blog. The chair of the parks commission was mad at me because of this statement:

Finally, I have to say, I'm disappointed, but not surprised, the Parks Commission passed the plan last night given that it wasn't available to the public until yesterday and so the public didn't really get to comment on it. What happened to our values that a public and transparent process led to better, more informed results in our community?

I think he thought that I was disappointed in the Parks Commission, but my disappointment and lack of surprise was in the Mayor's office handling of the situation, not the Parks Commission. After talking to two other people, beyond the guy whose testimony I blogged, who were at the meeting and the chair, I understand that the Parks Commission was rather upset that they were just seeing the plan yesterday and that their opinion didn't really matter because the Mayor's Office felt they didn't need the Park's Commission approval, so the Commission "accepted" or "received" the report. They did not, as the WSJ reported, "adopt" or "approve" the report.

So, Mr. Barker. I apologize. I never should have believed what I read in the Wisconsin State Journal without double and triple checking that it was accurate. My bad. And I hope you realize that my disappointment was not in the Parks Commission, except that you could have rejected the report or referred it to another meeting. My disappointment, was once again with how the Mayor's office handled this - last minute notice to the public and city committee members, limited/controlled input behind the scenes, making it look like the "stakeholders" were in agreement when they weren't and handling it via the press. And now I'm even more annoyed since I understand the committee members are upset.

THUY PHAM-REMMELE
People often ask me why the really outrageous statements made by this alder are not reported in the press. I think it is because the press are typically forgiving of a few mistatements or awkward moments that every elected official has. Thuy has had more then her fair share of forgiveness. This is until the spell was broken at Tuesday night's meeting. Her goofy statements were reported by both the Capital Times and Dane 101. They also, showed up on YouTube. Lets hear it for the cyclists that may be fat and/or old!

THE MAYOR & THUY PHAM REMMELE'S $2,000
Speaking of Thuy . . . when Thuy and the Mayor are in the same room, taxpayers, hang on to your wallets! Monday night there was a meeting with some neighborhood folks with Thuy and the Mayor and somehow, she walked away with the promise of more money. This time, $2,000 for a Neighborhood Watch. Ignore the process. Ignore the fact that no other Neighborhood Watches are getting this kind of money. Thuy asks, the Mayor jumps. Makes many wonder why. And the alders are lining up to get their money for their Neighborhood Watches!

WEXFORD'S "EXPEDITED PROCESS"
This one I didn't track this one down if there was a process that was not followed. However . . . at least some people in the know were questioning why the new building for the Wexford Neighborhood didn't need to go through the normal city approval process. Apparently, they were told by staff, that the process had been "expedited". Interesting, who has the authority to "expedite" by skipping committee processes?

THE MAYOR AND/OR CITY BUREAUCRACY
I'm not sure who is busted here, but the Common Council Organizational Committee (Bruer, Konkel, Webber, Clausisu, Rhodes-Conway, Compton and Schumacher) voted to affirm that when we voted for $30,000 for Fair Housing Testing, we meant Fair Housing Testing. We did not intend that money to be spent on a Fair Housing Study.

THE FACT CHALLENGED DAVID BLASKA
thedailypage blogger gets it wrong. What a surprise. (See last section.)
The Isthmus reporter sets the record straight. (See last section.)

HOMELESS AND THEIR SUPPORTERS CAUGHT PRAYING FOR DAVID BLASKA AND FRED MOHS


(Sorry, insider maybe-not-so-funny joke shared with the 50 or so people who came to the press conference yesterday plus the reporters and camera persons.)

Thanks to John Quinlan for the picture and trying to get YouTube video of the press conference.

Believe it or not, I had about 8 more things I wanted to add . . . but ran out of time! Stay tuned.

Read more!

Time Warp: Section 8 Tenants are Criminals

10 years ago, the leading reason cited for why landlords shouldn't have to take Section 8 tenants was that they are criminals. We know better than that, and with some public education and the support of the Apartment Association of South Central Wisconsin, I thought that discussion was put to bed.

Nope . . . joining with the Town of Madison biases against the poor, it looks like Middleton and Sun Prairie believe poor people are criminals. Not only are the homeless to be assumed to be drug dealers, now we can add the disabled and elderly folks that recieve those Section 8 vouchers.

I nominate the following for the most obnoxious, uniformed comments:

Middleton Alderman/landlord Jon DiPiazza

"If that tenant is of a lesser quality than someone else and then they skip out, the landlord is stuck," DiPiazza continued. "The county's ordinance requires landlords to accept them."

Sun Prairie Alderman/Chair of City Council Zach Weber and their Chief of Police

"We were appalled that the county board would pass legislation like this that essentially ties the hands of a landlord," Weber said. "We wanted something with more teeth to deal with some of these criminals. The conversation itself was fairly brief and it passed by a unanimous 8-0 vote."

Weber said Sun Prairie's chief of police was a proponent of the ordinance, adding that it ties in with the community's push to hold landlords more accountable for what goes on in their buildings.

Luckily, County Board Chair Scott McDonell set the record straight:

"Let's make this clear," McDonnell said. "Our ordinance says you can't discriminate against someone simply because they use Section 8; it doesn't say you have to take someone who uses it. There are plenty of reasons to turn away a bad tenant, but using Section 8 has nothing to do with being a bad tenant."

And its not just section 8 tenants, apparently there are other issues of concern to DiPiazza:

"I want someone with an ID card and rental and criminal history," DiPiazza stated.

and

"With a sexual deviant you could easily say that person is a menace, but do you say the same for a pickpocket? Maybe not. That conversation will need to take place."

It sounds like DiPiazza also doesn't understand the protections in the County Ordinance for people with convictions - you can only deny people if their crimes fall within a certain time period and are related to safety concerns of the staff and tenants.

The most absurd part of all of this is:

"Sun Prairie can't override a county ordinance on this and neither can Middleton - period," McDonnell said. "If we get any complaints about discrimination going on [in Sun Prairie] we'll look into it."

and worse yet . . .

Said McDonnell, "All that's going to do is force the county to use resources to establish that the city's ordinance can't override one passed by the county. That's all it will accomplish."

How is it that we, as a society, even here in progressive leaning Dane County, are becoming less tolerant? How is it that it has become so acceptable to hate people based on stereotypes? Instead of working to blend our melting pot it seems some are hellbent on drawing lines in the sand and using stereotypes to judge others and put them, or keep them, down. Read more!

Serious Crime or Quality of Life

The Isthmus has reported on how the police a going to crack down on the west side, and included the letter the police department sent out. In looking at the list of crimes they are going to have zero tolerance on, I started wondering how this is going to work with the Chronic Nuisance Ordinance (which we are rumored to be voting on next Tuesday, despite the fact that EOC has not seen it yet and we just got a copy yesterday to ask us if we want to be a co-sponsor.)

MGO 24.02(1) DISORDERLY CONDUCT $424
MGO 24.09(6), 24.04(1) & 24.04(2) NOISE VIOLATIONS $172
MGO 23.06(2) DAMAGE TO PROPERTY $676
MGO 23.07(2) UNLAWFUL TRESPASSING $424
MGO 23.11(2) CURFEW VIOLATION $52
MGO 23.32(1) PERMITTING DOG TO RUN AT LARGE $109
MGO 38.07(7) POSSESSING AN OPEN CONTAINER OF ALCOHOL ON A PUBLIC STREET $298
MGO 12.011 STANDING ON ROADWAY $58.60
MGO 12.011 SPEEDING $83.80-424.00
MGO 12.011 PARKING ACROSS SIDEWALK $30.00
MGO 10.17 LITTERING ON PUBLIC STREETS OR PUBLIC GROUNDS $298.00
MGO 7.321 DEPOSITING HUMAN WASTE PRODUCTS $172.00
MGO 8.21 PUBLIC PARKS CLOSED DURING CERTAIN HOURS (10 PM TO 6 AM $109.00
MGO 10.16(1) DEPOSIT OF INOPERABLE VEHICLE ON STREET $298.00
MGO 10.26 PERSONS NOT TO CONGREGATE ON STREETS OR SIDEWALKS $298.00
MGO 23.065 GRAFFITI ON PUBLIC/PRIVATE PROPERTY $676.00
MGO 34.31 UNLAWFUL FIREWORKS $424.00

If these are the issues that the police believe are being faced by the neighborhood which they characterize as "quality of life", then why does the chronic nuisance ordinance have this list of crimes?

1. An act of harassment as defined in s. 947.013, Wis. Stats.
2. Disorderly conduct as defined in s. 24.02, MGO or s. 947.01, Wis. Stats.
3. Crimes of violence as defined in ch. 940, Wis. Stats.
4. Resisting or obstructing an officer as prohibited by Sec. 5.06, MGO or s. 946.41, Wis. Stats.
5. Indecent exposure as prohibited by Sec. 26.01, MGO or s. 944.20(1)(b) Wis. Stats.
6. Damage to property as prohibited by Sec. 23.06, MGO. or s. 943.01, Wis. Stats.
7. The production or creation of noises disturbing the peace, as prohibited by sec. 24.04, MGO.
8. Discharge of a firearm as prohibited by Sec. 25.06, MGO.
9. Crimes involving illegal possession of firearms as defined in ss. 941.23, 941.26, 941.28, 941.29 and 948.60, Wis. Stats.
10. Trespass to land as defined in s. 943.13, Wis. Stats. or criminal trespass to dwelling as defined in s. 943.14, Wis. Stats, or unlawful trespass as prohibited in Sec. 23.07, MGO.
11. Obstructing a street or sidewalk, as prohibited by Sec. 10.23(1), MGO.
12. Theft as defined in s. 943.20, Wis. Stats.
13. Arson as defined in s. 943.02, Wis. Stats.
14. Depositing rubbish as prohibited by Sec. 10.17, MGO.
15. Keeping a place of prostitution as defined in or s. 944.34, Wis. Stats.
16. Loitering for the purposes of prostitution as prohibited by Sec. 26.08, MGO.
17. Loitering for purposes of soliciting prostitutes, as prohibited by Sec. 26.085, MGO.
18. Prostitution as prohibited by s. 944.30, Wis. Stats.
19. Soliciting prostitutes as prohibited by s. 944.32, Wis. Stats.
20. Pandering as prohibited by s. 944.33, Wis. Stats.
21. Loitering for purposes of soliciting prostitutes, as prohibited by Sec. 26.085, MGO.
22. Possessing an open container which contains alcohol beverages or consuming alcohol beverages upon any public street as prohibited by Sec. 38.08(7) of these ordinances.
23. Selling, offering for sale or giving away of any intoxicating liquors or fermented malt beverages without a license as provided in Sec. 38.05(1), MGO, or s. 125.04(1), Wis. Stats.
24. Possession, manufacture, distribution or delivery of a controlled substance or related offenses as defined in ch. 961, Wis. Stats.
25. Maintaining a drug dwelling as defined in Sec. 961.42 of the Wisconsin Statutes.
26. Illegal gambling as defined in s. 945.02, Wis. Stats.
27. Owning, keeping or harboring a dangerous animal, as defined in Sec. 25.22, MGO.
28. Violations of the Minimum Housing Code, as prohibited by Ch. 27, MGO.

Even more interesting to me is that Jennifer Zilavny from the City Attorney's office keeps promising me that eviction is not going to be the primary result of of this new ordinance, however, I think the police department has something else in mind. In fact, they even say so in their letter.

Property owners could be subject to a variety of nuisance abatement actions. Renters could face non-renewal or eviction.

Once the word starts to spread that people are getting evicted and non-renewed due to police calls, do you think that renters in these neighborhoods will be calling the police, even when they need help themselves? Or will that be something that they avoid because they are afraid (justifiably or unjustified) of losing their housing? And will that be a good effect for the neighborhoods, or will it have unintended consequences?

And even more interesting, the police have been promising that this will only get used about 10 times per year. With this new crackdown, if the police take is seriously, it sounds like it could be used 10 times in the first month of the ordinance, especially since it includes some more minor ordinances like noise or littering.

All I can say is, I'm glad I don't live on the Westside. I wonder how many of the people who wanted these things to happen will get caught for speeding, walking their dog without a leash, jogging in the park too early in the morning or their kid gets a ticket for curfew and how they're going to feel about that? Or is this new zero tolerance policy only going to be enforced against "those people"?

p.s. That the info I was looking for from the police department about their budget was right there on my computer. Once I knew how to get it out of the financial program, I was able to print of the reports in less than 5 minutes. And if I drill down, I could probably get even more information. Read more!

Voila! And now the Mayor Agrees to Try to Add 30 Police Officers

That didn't take long. I wonder what the "sacrifice and cuts" are going to be?

To: Chief Noble Wray
From: Mayor Dave Cieslewicz
cc: Members of the Common Council
Date: September 8th, 2007

Thank you for your memo regarding your adjusted budget request for the Madison Police Department. Like you, I have and will continue to listen closely to the comments and concerns of Madisonians at neighborhood meetings throughout the city. In response to what you and I have heard, it is my intention to add an additional 12 new officers to your original request of 18, for a total of 30. Because I have been building my budget on your original request, this will require sacrifice and cuts from other parts of the city budget. However, I believe that Madisonians are willing to accept these costs to make their neighborhoods safer.

This extraordinary increase of officers is contingent upon passage of a state budget which contains the state Senate provisions related to municipal levy limits and Payments for Municipal Services. Adoption of the Assembly provisions for these two items would result in $15 million in cuts to the city budget, so public safety literally hinges upon the Senate language in this regard. Moreover, I will ask the legislature to exempt police and fire expenses from state spending limits under the Expenditure Restraint Program.

In addition to this historic increase in police resources, I am proposing a broader Mayor's Public Safety Initiative which has six parts:

1. Increase police resources

As noted above, I will work hard to find the resources to add 30 new police officers and fund an accelerated police academy when I introduce my budget in October. I will also work with you to add new resources for Community Policing Teams, gang prevention and suppression, enforcement of quality of life concerns, stepped up traffic enforcement and more. I will continue the successful $100,000 Downtown Safety Initiative (DSI). In addition, because I know that we have particularly acute needs in the West Police District, I will ask the Common Council to provide an additional $50,000 for policing in that area for 2007. Along with these resources will come the opportunity for greater accountability to the public through specific measures of on-the-ground neighborhood safety through my Madison Measures program.

This commitment represents the largest increase in support for the Madison Police Department of any mayoral administration in recent history. The attached chart shows the historic growth in the size of the MPD.

2. Target bad landlords

In our neighborhood listening sessions, the two most common concerns we heard were the need for more police and the need to address landlords who do not maintain their property or adequately screen their tenants. I am committed passing the nuisance abatement ordinance at the next Council meeting. In addition, we are working with a city team comprised of the Police Department, Building Inspection, and the City Attorney's office to develop consistent, long-term inspections of problematic properties with consequences for landlords who do not show improvement.

3. Strengthen Neighborhoods

I will work to form a Westside Planning Council to give westside neighborhoods greater resources, coordination, information sharing and access to their city government. We will also work to expand and strengthen neighborhood watch programs.

4. Give young people positive alternatives

My 2008 capital budget contains support for the Urban League of Greater Madison, helping them to expand their youth mentoring program. We will also add resources yet this year for after school programs on the southwest side, and I will work to expand after school programs citywide in my 2008 budget. In addition, we will closely review the recommendations of the City-County Enhanced Gang Task Force with the intention of partnering with Dane County on gang prevention activities.

5. Lobby the federal, state and county governments to partner with us

The City of Madison can do a great deal, but we can't do it alone. I will work with the state legislators to head off cuts to local aid programs and levy limit proposals that would prohibit the City from investing what it needs to address our public safety concerns. I will also ask the state to fund an adequate number of Assistant District Attorneys to pursue quality of life crimes. Finally, I will work with our federal delegation to reinstate the COPS program to help us hire more officers.

6. Take a citywide approach

While much of the recent focus has been on the challenges faced by southwest Madison neighborhoods, we need a citywide approach that looks at all aspects of public safety. I will work to pass the Alcohol Density Plan this fall, as a means of stopping the flow of police resources to the downtown. We will continue to improve the Allied Drive neighborhood, to stem flow of police resources there (especially from the West Police District). Finally, to create a coordinated approach to all of these issues, I will be designating one of my aides to a new Safe Neighborhoods position in the mayor's office.

In addition to these six initiatives, I will work with all community leaders to raise our expectations with regard to behavior in every Madison neighborhood. Every Madisonian deserves to feel and to be safe in their own neighborhood and throughout the city.

Madison is fortunate to enjoy a reputation as a safe community with a high quality of life. These initiatives will help it to stay that way. I appreciate your commitment to protecting Madison neighborhoods and families. Read more!

Moving Day, Without the Tenant Resource Center?

As you curse the garbage trucks and moving vans and dig through the piles of trash to find goodies, I'd ask you to think. What would Madison be like without the Tenant Resource Center? What would happen if we stopped helping students with their housing issues?

Unfortunately, it's something we ask ourselves more and more lately. The decision by SSFC to determine that after funding us for 10 years, that we did not meet their re-created definition of "student organization" has left the Tenant Resource Center $55,000 short, it was nearly 20% of our budget.

Our board made a commitment to try to find a way to keep our doors open, maintain our level of service and work hard to raise the money we need to keep our doors open. And, re-apply for funding from the University this year. However, best case scenario, we won't receive funding until July 2008.

Meanwhile, we may have to

• cut back our service hours and instead of being open until 6:00 so people can stop by after typical work hours we will have to close earlier; and
  
• stop answering emails; and
• we won't be able to return calls in 24 - 48 hours and instead it may take up to a week; and
  
• stop presentations in the residence halls for first-time renters; and
  
• stop tabling and outreach on campus making our services more accessible for students; and
  
• we won't be doing Tenant Education Week; and
  
• and we won't be putting ads in the campus newspapers to let students know about our services; and
• we don't really want to think about what else we might need to do, but we've lost two part-time student staff positions and we just won't have the time to do some of the things that we do because its the right thing to do, even tho we don't always get funded to do it.
  

It's a mess. We hope to not cut services and continue do some of the things listed above, but we can only do so with your help. You can help in two different ways.

1. Make a donation. We've been getting $10, $12, $20 checks and it all helps. The $100 checks help more, but its all equally appreciated. You can donate on-line, or you can send your donation to Tenant Resource Center 1202 Williamson St Suite A, Madison WI 53703 or donate through your workplace giving campaign this fall through Community Shares of Wisconsin; or

2. If you're a student, join the Student Tenant Union. We can only get funding back to provide services on campus, if students make the case they need these services and help us figure out how to make it most effective for students. If you're interested in joining, email uwmadstu@gmail.com.

Meanwhile, take a deep breath, leave a little extra time to travel through the downtown area and be grateful that way back in 1969 the Madison Tenant Union and the Student Tenant Union came into being and later in 1980 the Tenant Resource Center was born. We've helped hundreds of thousands of people throughout the years, and we with your help, we will stick around and help hundreds of thousands more.

asktrc@tenantresourcecenter.org
257-0006
1-877-238-RENT (7368)
1202 Williamson St Suite A - walk-ins welcome, no appointment necessary M - F 9 - 6
Open until 7:30 tonight (August 15)

Mediation - 257-2799
Housing Help Desk - 242-7406 or walk-in, no appointment necessary M - F 8 - 4:30
1819 Aberg Avenue (Dane County Job Center) Room 2 Read more!

Moving Tips You Can Actually Use.

It was nice of Eli to post the City's "garbage tips". However, I find the City's tips kind of silly. Given the questions that people have that walk through the doors at the Tenant Resource Center, here's some other "tips" you might find more useful.

But first, a story. The worst, most egregious one so far, a landlord rented a building that is planned to be torn down. When the tenant arrived at the unit with their moving van, the landlord tried to talk the people into renting another unit. They didn't want that unit and the were sitting there with their van trying to figure out what to do. (The sad part of this story is I know the landlord and the house and it has not been approved to be torn down, yet. Way to go Cliff!) Could you imagine looking for a new apartment under those circumstances? And I wonder where they slept last night?

Anyways, here's those tips!

TENANT RESOURCE CENTER (TRC) OPEN EXTRA HOURS

• TRC will be open until 7:30 tomorrow night. Normally we're open Monday - Friday 9 - 6 and you're welcome to stop by (1202 Williamson St. Suite A) with your questions, which will be quicker than trying to get through on the phone. (Can't pick up the phone cuz we're busy helping walk-ins but here's the number if you can be patient 257-0006. It might be 48 hours before we can get back to you!)

SAFE DUMPSTER DIVING!

• Bed bugs and cockroaches might be hiding in the upholstered furniture, think twice before you take it home with you.

CHECK-OUT/MOVING OUT TIPS

• Schedule a check-out time with your landlord, if possible. If there is a dispute about something, it can often be quickly resolved by talking with your landlord in person. (For example, you could decide to clean the stove better or just pay the cost for the landlord to do it, or other similar items pointed out during a check-out inspection.)
• Fill out a check-out form and make sure you keep a copy. In the City of Madison the landlord is required to furnish you with one; if s/he doesn't, s/he cannot deduct for cleaning or damages. If you need a check-out form, or a check-in form for your new apartment, download them from TRC’s website at for free!
• Clean your apartment. It should be as clean as when you moved in. (Well, if you moved into a pig sty, leave it in better condition!)
• Take photographs or make a video tape if necessary to document the apartment's condition.
• Get a disinterested witness (not relatives or roommates) to walk through with you to verify the state of the apartment and its cleanliness; try to get a written statement from them or a future address where they can be contacted should the need arise.
• Forward your mail and leave your new address with your landlord (all correspondence and security deposit returns will be sent to your last known address unless otherwise specified in our lease).

MOVING IN TIPS

• When you arrive at your new place, take the time to thoroughly inspect your apartment and document ALL existing damage and wear and tear on your check-in form, so that you won’t be charged for those items when you move out next year.

DONATE USABLE ITEMS

Yes, the following information is important!

Goodwill Industries and St. Vincent de Paul Stores have downtown drop-off sites as well as their regular donation pick-up services. Donate any usable clothing; unopened, nonperishable food items; dishes, pots and pans; decorative items; furniture and other functional household items at the following pick-up sites:

• Broom & Mifflin (Near Capitol Centre Foods): Goodwill truck August 11—13, 11 am—5 pm; August 14, 8 am—noon
  
• Gorham & Henry (Behind Holy Redeemer Church): St. Vincent de Paul truck August 11—14, 9 am—9 pm
• Regent & Mills (Behind McDonalds in UW Lot 51): St. Vincent de Paul truck August 11—14, 9 am—9 pm
  

More information on donation sites: http://www.uhs.wisc.edu/ or call 267-2626.

For non-campus folks, you can drop off usable items, and pick up some new ones at the corner of S Ingersoll and E Wilson. It's a free exchange of items.esq

BE SAFE IN YOUR NEW APARTMENT

• Be sure to inspect your new unit closely for locks and other safety features, and report anything that is not functioning properly to the landlord right away.
  
• Be aware of your surroundings while you are moving and stay safe!
• Door locks, chains, and deadbolts. Always lock your doors—even when you are home. Don’t make your apartment and yourself easy targets for intruders by propping your door open or leaving it unlocked for friends or roommates. Always use your deadbolt, and if you don’t have one at least an inch long, request that your landlord install one.
• Sliding doors. Unsecured sliding doors are a common target for unauthorized entry. Be sure to use your patio door lock, plus a secondary locking device such as a stick in the sliding track to prevent the door from opening.
• Window and ventilation locks. All first floor and second floor windows are required to have both regular locks, which do not allow the window to open at all, and ventilation locks, which allow the window to open a few inches for ventilation but not wide enough to allow entry. These locks, when installed and used properly, will not allow entry without breaking glass. If locks are missing or don’t work, request repairs.
• Security-locked entrances. Controlled-access buildings are only secure if the common doors remain closed and locked when not in use. Remember, if you prop them open, you are compromising the safety of the whole building.
• Keys. Never label your keys or key chain with your house or unit number. If you lose them, your apartment will be at risk. Landlords are not obligated to change the locks between tenants, but if you’d like the locks rekeyed and the landlord does not want to do it, you could offer to pay for the rekeying. You can ask your landlord for extra sets of keys, but you may be required to pay a small deposit.
• Door viewer. Always use your door viewer before you open your door for someone. If the door viewer is broken or not provided, notify the landlord.
• Common area lighting. Be sure hallways and basements have adequate lighting. If bulbs are burned out, notify the landlord right away. Common area lighting is required by Madison General Ordinances. Parking lots for more than three cars must have lighting.
• Getting repairs completed. In most instances, the above-mentioned security measures are required by local building codes. Always notify the landlord if repairs are needed. If the landlord does not respond, call the City of Madison building inspector at 266-4551.
  

GARBAGE

• OK - try your best to be nice and neat about it. However, I fully realize that if you bag up your garbage and set it out, within 20 minutes it will be torn open by passers-by looking for treasure.
  
• If you need more tips, visit Eli's blog or the City's website. And please tell me those tips Eli posted weren't from the police department, I hope they were from the streets department. You'd think the police would have included some safety tips! (Sorry Eli, glad to see you finally posted! :) I guess the "command" worked!)
  

p.s. My pet peeve. NOT EVERYONE WHO MOVES ON AUGUST 14th/15th IS A STUDENT. MANY NON-STUDENTS LIVE DOWNTOWN AND ARE CAUGHT IN THE SAME DUMB TRADITION!
Read more!

Court Date 7-10-07: Eviction of last Hickory Lane Residents

This falls into the "there ought to be a law" category. This press release is from the Wisconsin Manufactured Home Owners Association.

To Whom It May Concern:

You are cordially invited to the Wisconsin Circuit Court eviction process of the last six homeowners, formerly of Hickory Lane Mobile Home Park (MHP). See below for specifics, date, and times. These modest homeowners had no means to vacate and no means to relocate. Through no fault of their own, they will now be stigmatized via this eviction. To date, the State of Wisconsin has shown no urgency in attempting to resolve this crisis and has no language in place to transition them with fair compensation of any kind.

Currently, Wisconsin Law has zero language addressing the problem of Closing of Mobile Home Parks, the last bastion of independent affordable housing-­a phenomenon that is occurring nationally due to the rapid escalation of real estate values and redevelopment;

Wisconsin has zero language requiring timely Notification of MHP Closings to residents with homes (valued up to $90,000) in these Parks;

Wisconsin has zero language that addresses fair compensation and relocation assistance to homeowners in MHPs that close permanently.

The Consolidated Court Automation Programs (CCAP) / Wisconsin Circuit Court Access
Wisconsin Circuit Court Access (WCCA)
New Dane Co. Courthouse, 2nd Floor - 3 PM to 3:30 PM
Displaying records (6)

Dane Open Johns, Mansel (MHP owner)
-
Mansel Johns et al vs. Valerie Byrd 2007SC007134 06-22-2007 Dane Open

Mansel Johns et al vs. Patrick Hogan 2007SC007133 06-22-2007 Dane Open

Mansel Johns et al vs. John Spaerl 2007SC007132 06-22-2007 Dane Open

Mansel Johns et al vs. William H Beck 2007SC007131 06-22-2007 Dane Open

Mansel Johns et al vs. Brent Holman 2007SC007130 06-22-2007 Dane Open

Mansel Johns et al vs. Katya Whiterabbit et al 2007SC007129 06-22-2007 Dane Open

Read more!

Here's one for the reprehensible disgusting landlord category!

Ugh, I had forgotten about this one . . .

A woman was raped in her apartment by a man who was able to get into the building because the landlord refused to enforce the security locked entrance. When the woman tried to break her lease, the landlord gave her a rough time. She even just asked to move to a different unit in a different building . . . the landlord, still refused. As did their attorney. Unfortunately, this is a management company that manages quite a few units in Madison.

This story, had even one of my most experienced counselors in tears by the time the client left the Tenant Resource Center office. Read more!

I can't believe the landlord did that!

Today, I'm totally inspired by landlords. I've worked at the Tenant Resource Center in some capacity, since 1991. I've been a volunteer (91 - 93), the volunteer coordinator (93 - 94), a board member (94 - 95) and the executive director (95 - present). I often tell my volunteers and people who attend our seminars that every time I think I've heard it all . . . something new comes up.

So, I've asked the staff and volunteers to come up with their old favorite stories, and I'll share some of those with you, and then I'll add the new ones as the come up. Here's my two stories from last week and this week.

Last week - A landlord was holding the tenant's mail hostage until the tenant paid the rent. Um . . . I think there may be federal charges there. When I told this story to a room full of people, even some of the landlords groaned.

This week - The landlord filled out a court document (Summons and Complaint) and made it look all official, except, they filled in the Date and Time of the "hearing" themselves and filled in the "Place to Appear" as their office instead of the Court House.

These two stories are just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. I know one of my favorite stories was the landlord who attended a seminar who asked why they couldn't do things like they did when she was in Texas. There, if the tenant didn't pay the rent, they just would remove the toilet seats and lightbulbs so the tenants couldn't use their apartments.

One of my other favorite stories was a Verona landlord that was pissed off because the tenant had called the building inspector. So they gave the tenant a 5 day notice. The landlord actually put in writing that "The electricity and water will be shut off until you pay the rent witch [sic] has not been paid." Yes, that's illegal.

Stay tuned, we'll keep you entertained, if nothing else and hey, maybe if you're a tenant, you'll learn a thing or two about your rights.

And if you have tenant/landlord questions you need to ask, feel free to call one of our housing counselors. 257-0006 (Dane County) or 1-877-238-RENT (outside Dane County) Read more!