Topic: How to Pass a HQS Inspection

When: March 18, 2025 at 10:00am

REGISTER HERE

By Dawn Anastasi, RPA Board Member

This morning I attended the Annual Landlord Breakfast hosted by the Havenwoods Neighborhood Partnership.

The event was moderated by JeTaun Taylor, the Community & Safety Director for the Havenwoods Neighborhood Partnership.

The primary speaker was Attorney Tristan Pettit, who spoke about the Koble case and gave updates to the attendees.

Also in attendance were a panel of city personnel, including:

• Staff from DPW (Department of Public Works), DNS (Department of Neighborhood Services), and the Forestry Division
• Two Community Liaison Officers from Police District 4
• An Assistant District Attorney
• Milwaukee Common Council President José Pérez
• Milwaukee Alderperson Mark Chambers

Attendees were treated to a continental breakfast and after the main presentation by Tristan Pettit, were able to have a Q&A session with Tristan and the entire panel.

It was an informative event, and I highly encourage RPA members to attend the next Landlord Breakfast.

By:  Kirsten Fagerland Pezewski, Pezewski Law Offices, S.C.

February 20, 2025

The federal Financial Crimes Enforcement Network announced on February 18, 2025 that beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirements under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) are once again in effect.

FinCEN states that for “the vast majority of reporting companies, the new deadline to file an initial, updated and/or corrected BOI report is now March 21, 2025.”  Please follow the link below to FinCEN’s notice to read about exceptions to the general reporting deadline on March 21, 2025. 

In addition, during this extension for filing, FinCEN notes that it will be assessing options to further modify deadlines, while prioritizing reporting for those entities that pose the most significant national security risks, so it continues to be important to monitor developments with this reporting requirement. 

You can follow this link to FinCEN’s notice here:  FinCEN Notice, FIN-2025-CTA1, 2/18/2025.  Or, you can follow this link to the FinCEN website here:  United States Department of the Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network | FinCEN.gov

Because of the harsh penalties for failing to comply with the CTA and reporting requirements (criminal penalties of up to two years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $10,000 and/or civil penalties of $591 per day increased annually by inflation) it’s very important to continue to monitor the status of the Corporate Transparency Act and its reporting requirements and how those requirements may affect your business entities.

Please be sure that you are working with your accountant and/or attorney to monitor the status of the BOI reporting requirements for your own organizations, and that you understand the requirements and penalties for failure to comply with the CTA.

By Dawn Anastasi, RPA Board Member

I attended the Property Management Panel held by the Milwaukee County Housing Services Division. The moderator was Alexi Millard, Landlord Coordinator.

The panelists:

• Ed Riggenbach, Welcome Home Milwaukee
• Liz Perez, Smart Asset
• Akram Khan - KPM Property Management

Here are some of the questions that came up during the panel and the answers from the panelists.

What trends are you seeing in the rental housing market?

• Tenants are having higher and higher expectations for how quickly someone can come out to fix something and how 'upgraded' the property is
• Very high instances of fraud committed by applicants
• Growing expenses for rental properties -- insurance, maintenance
• Rents are staying strong

What percentage of property values are owners charging for rent?

• Years ago it was around 2% for new purchases, then it went down to around 1%, now it's around 0.6-0.7%
• If you get 1% today, you are lucky
• The market is softening, interest rates are not budging

What has been your experiences working with the Rent Assistance Program?

• The benefit is that the process is already there, there is no need to reinvent the wheel
• Everyone wants guaranteed rent and zero risk and this is just not a thing in this industry
• Working with Rent Assistance reduces the risk because the government pays for at least a portion of the rent, if the tenant loses their job, the Rent Assistance program can re-evaluate their situation and re-adjust the payment schedule to the owner
• One downside is the waiting -- waiting for the contract to be signed, waiting for the inspection to be scheduled, etc

What incentives or policy changes would make participating in Rent Assistance more attractive?

• Greater speed of communication and assistance
• Ability to think outside the box and come up with solutions for issues that arise
• Funding for property damage by the tenant outside normal wear and tear

Note: Owners have to register for the LIFT program in order to get reimbursements for property damage.

• The LIFT program does not apply to HACM, only MCHS.
• The program only applies to NEW tenants, not existing tenants.

How do you navigate issues like Late Payments when working with Rent Assistance?

• Get in front of it ASAP
• Communicate with the tenant
• Send a 30-day notice (5 day notice not allowed for tenants on Rent Assistance due to the CARES Act)

How do you navigate inspections when working with Rent Assistance?

• Go through the property using the inspection checklist and make sure that that everything on the list is in working order and that there are no surprises
• The most frustrating aspect of inspections is that the Housing Authority coordinates the inspection with the tenant and gives little to no opportunity for the owner to be there

How do you handle tenant retention and reduce turnover?

• Provide good customer service
• Use technology such as online payment options
• Handle situations quickly and in a professional manner
• Try to find common ground and compromise on tenant requests

Next Town Hall Topic: How to Pass a HQS Inspection

March 18th at 10:00am

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has accepted Koble for review!

By:      Kirsten Fagerland Pezewski, Pezewski Law Offices, S.C.

            February 16, 2025

On February 12, 2025, the Wisconsin Supreme Court accepted the matter of Koble Investments v. Elicia Marquardt, 2022AP000182, for review.  It has been a long wait to see whether this case would be reviewed.  The Petition for Review was filed by attorneys for Koble Investments on May 23, 2024.

After the filing of the Petition for Review, Rental Property Association of Wisconsin, Inc., and its partner organizations (Wisconsin Realtors Association, Apartment Association of Northeast Wisconsin, Inc., Fox Valley Apartment Association, Inc., and Kenosha Landlord Association, Inc.) filed an amicus (friend of the court) brief, together with a supplement to the original brief.  The amicus brief was filed with the Court on June 6, 2024.

The amicus brief argued to the court that the damages awarded in the Koble case by the Court of Appeals were not correct because the Court of Appeals:

·       Incorrectly applied the Wisconsin Consumer Act to residential leases

·       Ignored the periodic tenancy that existed despite the allegedly voided lease

·       Incorrectly held that the tenant’s rent payments were a pecuniary loss

·       Failed to require the tenant to show a causal connection between the violation and purported harm

The purpose of the amicus brief was to explain to the Supreme Court why it should grant the landlord’s petition for review, and the Court has granted the petition for review.  Now, the Court of Appeals decision will be reviewed, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court will have the opportunity to change or modify the law made by the decision of the Court of Appeals.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has set a briefing schedule for the parties.  Koble’s brief is due March 14, 2025, and the tenant’s attorney’s brief is due 20 days after the Koble brief.  Koble will have 10 days to file a brief in reply.  When briefs are filed, the Court will most likely set this matter for oral arguments.  The RPA does not expect a decision is likely to be issued prior to August of 2025.

RPA and its partner organizations are considering filing additional amicus briefs. 

Sharing an event from the Havenwoods Neighborhood Partnership

Event Details:

Date: Thursday, February 20, 2025

⏰ Time: 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM

Location: Wisconsin Country Club, 6200 W Good Hope Rd, Milwaukee, WI 53223

Cost: $10 per person includes continential breakfast

REGISTER HERE

Monthly virtual information sessions for housing providers will be held on the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. CST.

Details on the next session:

Date: Wednesday, February 12, 2025

• Time: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
• Location: Microsoft Teams
• Click here to join the meeting
• Meeting ID: 291 278 921 882
• Passcode: WUuwKK

Prefer to call-in only (no video)?

• 414-251-0392
• Phone Conference ID: 252 725 593#

Message from HACM Regarding Backlog

We are aware that there is a backlog of work, and we have assembled a team to address this backlog. We plan to have all late annual re-examinations addressed by May 31, 2025, and the Housing Assistance Payments made by HACM on behalf of your HCV tenant(s) will continue during this period and not be affected. We thank you in advance for your patience during this time as we work diligently to get the backlog cleared.

New Call Center

To improve customer service and efficiency, a new Call Center has been implemented for the HCV Program that includes more options for assistance and a ticketing system for tracking inquiries. Not only can HCV participants and housing providers call the HCV Program office at 414-286-5650 to speak with a HACM representative during standard business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), but they can also email hcvsupport@hacm.org to create a ticket that will be routed to the appropriate staff for assistance.

Housing providers can continue to contact Stephen Fendt, Outreach Coordinator, directly with questions and concerns.

However, please send all time-sensitive materials (i.e., 30-day quit or pay notices, rent increases, RTAs for new tenants) to hcvsupport@hacm.org for processing and refer any of your HCV tenants to the Call Center for support with recertification, income adjustments, etc.

Inspection Scheduling

A new inspection scheduling process has been established to provide additional notice for upcoming appointments. In addition to the biennial inspection appointment letter sent to you via U.S. Mail, you will now also receive several automated calls prior to the inspector's arrival at the unit — 2 weeks, 24 hours and 1 hour.

The phone number called will be the number we have on file for your account, so please make sure you keep that number updated through the Landlord Portal.

You're invited to attend a roundtable discussion for owners and managers of rental housing in Wauwatosa:

• Thursday, February 13, 2025, 10:00 a.m.
• Little Red Store
• 7720 Harwood Ave, Wauwatosa, WI 53213

Agenda:

• Introduction & Welcome -- Representative Margaret Arney
• Discussion about housing providers’ experience with housing vouchers.
• Updates on access to affordable housing options in Wauwatosa.
• Discussion of the benefits of leasing to tenants with vouchers-
• guaranteed payments, long term tenants & loss mitigation funds.
• Updates on Landlord Incentives Fostering Tenancy--Alexi Millard, MCHA
• Landlord Engagement Coordinator
• Announcing new Housing Provider Engagement Benefits with Opportunity
• MKE- Stefanie Ebbens, MMFHC Inclusive Communities Program

To register email Opportunity@fairhousingwisconsin.com

or call 414-278-1240.

Zoom link for virtual attendance will be provided upon request.

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) released their list of the top 10 consumer complaints of 2024.

At the top of the top 10 were landlord-tenant issues.

Caleb Kulich, Public Information Officer for DATCP, writes:

With 2,525 complaints filed in 2024, landlord-tenant issues remained DATCP’s number one consumer complaint category. The most common disputes between landlords and tenants reported to DATCP include failure to maintain the premises, security deposit returns, unauthorized entry, mold and infestation, inadequate disclosures, and unsatisfactory service.

Read the Full Article on DATCP's Website

Tue, Feb 18, 2025

10:00 AM - 11:00 AM CST

REGISTER HERE