The City of Madison’s renting ordinances are nullified after Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill into law Wednesday that standardizes Wisconsin’s tenant laws throughout the state.
Senate Bill 107, authored by state Sen. Frank Lasee, R-De Pere, allows landlords to search prospective tenants’ histories and use conviction records, income levels or employment history to deny leases.
“Good renters end up paying more or having to move when a bad tenant moves in,” Lasee said in a statement. “This bill will help put an end to these problems for both landlords and good renters.”
The law has come under scrutiny by student groups and tenants’ rights advocates who argue it will negatively impact student renters by changing Madison ordinances that were developed with student tenants in mind.
The Wisconsin Alliance for Tenant Rights began circulating a “responsible landlords pledge” Wednesday to “find another way to protect tenants’ rights” and maintain Madison’s original ordinances, according to group spokesperson Colin Gillis.
“All we have left is the pledge,” Gillis said. “All we can do is ask.”
Rob Kovach, Lasee’s chief of staff, said SB 107 allows students to have a consistent understanding of tenant laws throughout the state.
With SB 107, “local governments can’t make rules that are more complicated,” Kovach said in September.
SB 107 will go into effect Dec. 18.
Walker also signed 20 other bills into law Wednesday, one of which provides legal protections for property owners who use lethal force to defend themselves from attackers.
