Real Estate
What Landlords Should Know About the Wisconsin Consumer Act
Residential landlords in Wisconsin now face liability under the Wisconsin Consumer Act (WCA) following the Wisconsin Court of Appeals’ decision in Koble Invs. v. Marquardt, 412 Wis. 2d 1, 7 N.W.3d 915 (Ct. App. 2024). The WCA aims to: simplify, clarify and modernize...
Lease Rights Beyond the Property Line
A lease is an agreement between one party which owns real estate, (landlord or lessor), and another party who seeks to gain use rights to some or all of that real estate for a set period of time (tenant or lessee). The landlord remains the owner of the property, but...
Waste in Real Estate
The word waste provides rich imagery for a fertile imagination. Waste is associated with many unsavory expressions: “wasted, waste product, waste away, and go to waste.” From a legal standpoint, however, “waste” is a narrowly defined concept in property law. It means...
Family Cabin LLCs
We all know someone who has a family cabin “up north.” Family cottages, cabins, and hunting land are a common estate planning concern in Wisconsin. The current owners want to preserve a place full of fun and memories for future generations. Unfortunately, the way...
Comparing Commercial and Residential Leases
Most individuals must navigate a residential lease at some point in their lives – typically for an apartment to live in before potentially purchasing a home later in life. In contrast, the majority of people will never need to negotiate or enter into a commercial...
Update On Private Roads, Joint Driveways and Easements Article
This article was written in November 2018, now there are some important updates to share. Many properties in Wisconsin have some form of shared access. It can be as simple as a portion of the driveway crossing the neighbor’s property to more complicated scenarios...
Landlord Lag Time in Wisconsin
The benefit to renting over owning is avoiding unexpected repair costs, in contrast, it can mean having to wait for the landlord to make repairs. Who is responsible for making repairs and how long a landlord can take to make a repair depends on the issue. While a...
Are You Ready to Build a House?
Are you ready to finally build the new home you always dreamed of? Perhaps you are considering adding on to your existing home. Construction projects are expensive. The last thing you want to discover after the project is over is that an unsatisfied construction lien...
Deeds, Deeds, Deeds
Often when individuals purchase real estate, their understanding of the transaction is that the Seller will convey the real estate by executing and recording a deed. However, there are actually various types of deeds, each with their own set of warranties or...