Condominium and Cooperative Law in Wisconsin

Cooperative and condominium communities are examples of a class of housing developments recognized as "common interest communities."

This is a type of community in which the individual residents rent or own residential units in a building, or collection of buildings, but are collectively responsible for taking maintaining the common areas in their communities, such as lawns, gardens, swimming pools, and the like. This responsibility is normally taken care of by charging the residents a periodic maintenance fee, to pay for the upkeep of the common areas.

If you simply look at one of these communities, you won't be able to tell whether it's a cooperative or a condominium community.

This is because there are no physical characteristics that can clearly distinguish one from the other. The main difference lies in the legal ownership arrangement. In a condominium community, the units are actually owned by the residents. The residents also collectively own the common areas, holding joint title to it. In a cooperative community, the buildings and land which make up the houses are owned by a single entity, and the individual units are often rented rather than owned by the residents.

Laws and Regulations Concerning Common Interest Communities in Deforest, Wisconsin

While there are a lot of Deforest, Wisconsin laws that will affect the residents and owners of condominium and cooperative communities, there are few that are actually specific to such communities. Rather, they are mostly governed by laws of more general application, such as contract law, zoning laws, and landlord/tenant law.

Typically, the rules established by the owner of the property, or the entity tasked with managing it, are going to have much more of a day-to-day effect on your life than any state laws governing these types of communities.

The owner or manager of the property on which your unit sits will likely have a considerable number of regulations concerning what can be done in and around the housing units. These rules will likely concern cleanliness, noise, and policies governing the presence of pets and long-term guests.

Some of these rules, however, may not be enforceable, if push came to shove. This would depend on the specific laws of Deforest, Wisconsin which control landlords and tenants.

Can a Deforest, Wisconsin Attorney Help?

If you have a dispute with a neighbor, your landlord, or your homeowners' association, a brilliant Deforest, Wisconsin real estate attorney can be instrumental in obtaining a desired outcome.