WI · Researched October 7, 2026
Wisconsin rules come from Chapter 704 and the consumer protection code ATCP 134. Return deposits within 21 days, give 12 hours' notice to enter, and use the correct 5-day, 14-day, or 28-day notice for the tenancy type. Local rent control is banned, and credit check fees are capped at $25.
A broker includes anyone who, for another person and for pay, negotiates a rental or promotes the rental or leasing of real estate. Showing a property offered only for rent is not by itself brokerage.
Custodians, janitors, and employees or agents of the owner or manager of a residential building who show units, take lease applications, and give rental information; court appointees; banks and their employees; and licensed attorneys acting as attorneys.
Wis. Stat. 452.13 does not mention rents or security deposits. It defines client funds as downpayments, earnest money deposits, or other money related to a conveyance of real estate, and a firm that holds client funds must keep them in an interest-bearing common trust account registered with DSPS, with the interest paid to the Department of Administration. The annotation cites a 1971 Attorney General opinion that a broker who keeps a tenant's security deposit should put it in the broker's trust account.
Before taking a deposit, tell the tenant in writing they have at least 7 days after move-in to note existing damage and to request the list of damages charged to the prior tenant.
Deliver or mail the balance with an itemized statement of withholdings. Only standard withholding items or items listed in a separately signed nonstandard rental provision may be deducted.
Landlords who violate ATCP 134 face suits for double damages plus attorney's fees.
Chapter 704 and ATCP 134 set no late fee cap. Disclose any late fee in the rental agreement. Late fees owed on past-due rent count as rent for a 5-day or 14-day nonpayment notice.
No fee if the applicant provides a nationwide credit report under 30 days old. Return earnest money deposits by the next business day after rejection or withdrawal.
Rent cannot rise during a fixed-term lease unless the lease allows it. A periodic tenancy can be ended with at least 28 days' written notice, so give at least that much notice before raising rent on a periodic tenant.
Public bodies may still regulate rent on units they own or through voluntary agreements.
Month-to-month tenants can also get a 14-day notice to vacate. Tenants on leases over one year get 30 days to pay.
For month-to-month tenants, a 14-day notice to vacate with no cure is also allowed. Tenants on leases over one year get a 30-day notice to comply. Police or DA nuisance notices allow a 5-day notice to vacate.
Tenancies with rent paid more often than monthly need notice equal to one rental period.
If the landlord wins, the court orders a writ of restitution right away. The court may stay the writ up to 30 days for hardship if the tenant pays rent due, and the sheriff cannot execute a writ received more than 30 days after it issues.
Hold prescription medicine and medical equipment for 7 days. Special notice rules apply to vehicles and manufactured homes.
No notice is needed if the tenant consents or requests the entry, for emergencies, or when the tenant is absent and entry is needed to protect the property. Entry must be at reasonable times.
If the unit becomes untenantable and the landlord does not fix it promptly, the tenant may abate rent or move out.
Give a check-in sheet the tenant can return within 7 days. Include the statutory domestic abuse protections notice in the lease. Notify tenants of automatic renewal clauses as required.
Also protected: sex, race, color, disability, religion, national origin, and family status. Coverage extends to owner-occupied single-family homes.
A tenant protected by an injunction based on sexual assault may end the tenancy with notice, owes no rent after the end of the month following notice or move-out, and may ask the landlord to change the locks.
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Compare with other states: security deposit limit, deposit return deadline, deposit interest and holding rules, late fees, application and screening fees, rent increase notice, rent control, notice for unpaid rent, notice for lease violations, ending a month-to-month, eviction timeline, abandoned property, landlord entry, repairs and habitability, required disclosures, state fair housing protections.