What does this mean?

Right to Stay in Place: The right to continue living in their current residence without being evicted, with some exceptions for severe non-payment of rent, significant property damage, or violations of lease agreements.

This looks like:

• Prohibit winter evictions between November 1 and March 31, except for emergency cases. 

• Ban no-cause evictions; limit allowable causes to: nonpayment, landlord occupancy, or permanent market withdrawal (with a one-year moratorium on redevelopment permits). 

• Require landlords to make reasonable efforts to contact tenants about nonpayment prior to filing for eviction. 

• Expand notice to vacate period from 5 days to 14 days; restore broader “right to cure” protections repealed by Act 76. 

• Provide relocation assistance when tenants are forced to move, including due to economic displacement (e.g., rent hikes). 

• Mandate clear, written, and verifiable explanations for non-renewal of lease agreements. 

• Restore tenant rights to retain or recover property after eviction (return to pre-Act 108 and 76 standards). 

What does this mean?

Rights to Repairs and Safe, Affordable Housing: The right for housing to be maintained in a safe, healthy, accessible condition, with necessary repairs made promptly.

This looks like: 

• Codify specific health and safety standards for utilities, sanitation, and building facilities, enforceable under local housing code. 

• Strengthen housing code enforcement; impose penalties for delays in essential repairs; expand eligibility for rent abatement under MGO § 32.04(2). 

• Require landlords to respond to repair requests and complete repairs within 48 hours of receiving written notice. 

• Protect tenant rights to file habitability complaints within 14 days of move-in without retaliation (Wis. Stat. § 704.45). 

• Restrict property acquisition by landlords with a documented pattern of serious code violations.

• Triple municipal funding for affordable housing development, especially for extremely low-income households. 

• Advocate for local living wage pegged to average rent for a one-bedroom unit (note: state law preempts municipal wage-setting). 

What does this mean?

Right to Fair Leases: The right to a lease that is clear, transparent, and does not include unfair or exploitative terms.

This looks like:

• Standardize lease forms across all units in a multi-unit property.

• Reinstate a limit on security deposits to one month’s rent; cap pet deposits (repealing Act 143 and aligning with pre-2011 law). 

• Promote availability of multi-year leases to enhance housing stability.

• Require landlords to carry insurance covering losses from fire, water, and pest infestations, and disclose coverage to tenants. 

What does this mean?

Right to Rent Stabilization and Fair Fees: Rent stabilization laws, also known as "anti-rent gouging" laws, limit how much landlords can increase rent over a certain period of time.

This looks like:

• Establish a Rent Advisory Board to set annual rent increase limits based on CPI, local housing cost burden, and maintenance data.

• Prohibit rent increases when a unit is in violation of basic habitability standards.

• Require disclosure of cost breakdowns for fees and service charges; implement caps on landlord profit margins for essential services.

• Extend the eviction process for non-payment from 5 to 60 days to give tenants time to cure arrears. 

• Implement a local tax on short-term rentals (e.g., Airbnb), dedicated to affordable housing funds.

• Impose a real estate transfer tax on homes not used as primary residences; earmark funds for tenant assistance.

• Require landlords to provide public, written justifications for rent or fee increases exceeding a certain threshold (e.g., 5%).

• Repeal Act 143 provision allowing landlords to shift legal fees onto tenants; restore tenant protections.

What does this mean?

Right to Privacy and Self-Determination: The right to live in their rental unit without interference, and the right to control how their personal information is used and disclosed

This looks like:

• Seal eviction records if the tenant pays rent or vacates before a formal court filing, following the Minnesota model.

• Expand landlord entry notice requirement to 24 hours; prohibit entry without tenant consent except in emergencies; violators subject to double damages.

• Prohibit water and power shutoffs without 48-hour written notice.

• Prohibit lease provisions banning window air conditioning units unless safety risk is demonstrated.

• Affirm the right to privacy in all personal property within the rental unit.

What does this mean?

Right to Organize and Equal Protection Under Law: The right for tenants to advocate for their needs, address housing issues, and build stronger, more inclusive neighborhoods.

What might this look like?

• Protect tenant associations' right to organize and meet in common areas.

• Require property owners and managers to engage in good-faith negotiation with tenant unions.

• Extend parity between tenant protections at city and county levels (e.g., coordinated enforcement, mutual recognition of housing standards).

• Distribute a tenant rights information leaflet with every lease agreement (administered by DCR or Housing Division).

• License all landlords and property managers operating residential rental housing in Madison.

• Prohibit the use of blanket credit score or income thresholds as leasing criteria; mandate individualized assessments. 

• Establish a publicly funded Division of Housing and Tenant Oversight within city government.

• Encourage candidates for local office to sign voluntary pledges rejecting campaign contributions from real estate interests. 

• Prohibit discriminatory treatment of people experiencing homelessness by any municipal or state agency. 

What does this mean?

Rights of the Elderly and Disabled: The right for equal protection and advocacy for seniors and disabled tenants under city, county, state, and federal law.

This looks like:

• Landlords must notify a tenant oversight board prior to initiating eviction proceedings against elderly or disabled tenants. 

• Implement improved enforcement mechanisms and standards for investigating disability discrimination. 

• Prohibit or limit utility disconnections for elderly, disabled, or low-income households, especially during winter months (cf. Wis. Admin. Code PSC § 113.0301). 

• Require accessibility considerations for disabled persons in all new residential construction and renovations. 

• Create a local program to convert hotels into subsidized housing for elderly tenants. 

What does this mean?

Right to Rent History: The right to review a landlord’s past rental record to make informed decisions about renting.

This looks like:

• Create a publicly searchable landlord registry including ownership information and compliance history.

• Make all civil records related to housing and building code violations publicly available online.

• Require landlords to disclose unresolved issues and code violations in the rental unit (repeal Act 76 restrictions). 

• Mandate disclosure of historical average utility costs for the rental unit over the past 12 months.

What does this mean?

Rights of Current Residents: The right of a current tenant to maintain their home without displacement.

This looks like:

• Prohibit retaliatory or defamatory references from landlords without substantiated cause; prohibit reference blacklisting.

• Require lease renewal notice at least 90 days before expiration; otherwise, tenant entitled to 10% of annual rent in credit or refund.

• Mandate that tenants be given 30 days to consider rent increase offers; ban coercive early lease signing practices; landlords must respond to renewal inquiries within 30 days.

• Guarantee lease succession rights to named household members.

• Provide existing tenants priority for in-building vacancies before listing to the general public.