Landlord and Tenant Lawyers in Oshkosh

Find the right Tenant attorney in Oshkosh, WI

Tenant Law in Wisconsin

In Oshkosh, Wisconsin, it's not simple to be a tenant or a landlord, and relations between those parties can occasionally get testy.

Landlords and tenants have several rights and responsibilities. What follows is a partial list of the rights that landlords and tenants have, and the corresponding duties of the other party.

Landlord's Rights in Oshkosh, WI

Most obviously, landlords have a right to collect rent from their tenants. When a tenant agrees to pay a landlord a certain amount of money for the right to occupy the landlord's property, a contract is formed. Tenants have to hold up their end of the deal.

They also have a right to compensation for any damage that a tenant causes, beyond ordinary wear and tear. Landlords are free to bill the tenants for repairs to damage they caused, and deduct the cost from the security deposit.

Tenant's Rights in Oshkosh, WI

At the most basic level, tenants have a basic right to what they're paying for: a habitable living environment. Therefore, landlords in Oshkosh, Wisconsin must ensure that the units they rent to tenants meet some basic standards for human habitation. These requirements vary from state to state, but are often fairly easy to meet. There are no legal requirements that rented units be pretty, particularly spacious, or luxurious. They simply have to be fit for human beings to live in them. To be considered "habitable," rented units must have water, electricity, some form of heating (if the local climate necessitates it), and adequate protection from the elements (proper insulation, no roof leaks, windows that close, etc.).

Furthermore, tenants have rights to common areas that are free of physical obstructions, as well as serious health and safety hazards. Common areas are the places in apartment buildings and other residential complexes which every tenant can access, and include hallways, stairwells, and fire escapes. In Oshkosh, Wisconsin, these areas must be kept in a safe condition, at the landlord's expense.

Under federal and Wisconsin law, tenants are also entitled to protection against discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, marital status, or gender. Such discrimination can lead to grave civil penalties against the landlord. Landlords also cannot discriminate against tenants based on physical disability, and have to make reasonable accommodations for physically disabled tenants. For instance, they have to allow disabled tenants to make minor physical alterations to the unit (at the tenant's expense) to make it more accessible. Now, they don't need to allow the tenants to have the building remodeled. We're just talking about things like installing handrails in the bathroom, and similar things. The landlord can, however, require tenants to restore the apartment to its original condition, at the tenant's expense, once the tenant leaves.

Lastly, tenants in most states have a right to be free from unfair eviction. Generally, lease agreements last for a set period of time, and both parties are bound by that contract. Landlords cannot arbitrarily evict clients while the lease is still in effect.

Can a Oshkosh, Wisconsin Landlord/Tenant Lawyer Help?

Landlords and tenants generally want to avoid conflict with one another. Nonetheless, conflicts are sometimes unavoidable. If you end up in a major dispute with a landlord or a tenant, a reputable Oshkosh, Wisconsin landlord/tenant attorney can help.

Talk to a Real Estate Law Attorney now!

Life in Oshkosh

Oshkosh, Wisconsin is a city in Winnebago County. According to a Census estimate from 2007, its population is approximately 64,000 people.

Oshkosh is named the Menominee Chief Oshkosh, whose name means "claw" in the Menominee language. He was one of the first Native Americans in the area to make contact with European settlers and fur traders in the 18th Century.

During the early 19th Century, the area gradually grew as a trading post for furs, meat, and other natural resources that were abundant in the frontier. By the mid-19th Century, the industrial revolution was underway, and Oshkosh, Wisconsin's economy boomed thanks to its abundant lumber, and the building boom brought on by industry. The presence of navigable waterways and, later, the arrival of a railroad made the area even more attractive for this industry.

Modernly, Oshkosh is a fairly quiet city, with a large number of residential neighborhoods. Its economy is faring relatively well, compared to other cities in the region, doing slightly better than the national average in several indicators, such as unemployment and the percentage of people below the poverty line.

If you live in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and have a legal issue, it's likely that there's an attorney who can handle it, no matter how complicated or simple it is. Oshkosh, Wisconsin lawyers can handle just about any case you can throw at them.

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