Archive for category Seminars

The Ever Important Security Deposit Transmittal Letter (or “21 Day Letter”)

Mar 17

Posted by Admin in Security Deposit, Seminars | 2 Comments

Aside from evictions, issues regarding the failure to properly return a tenant’s security deposit are, in my opinion, the single most litigated area in landlord-tenant law.

In Wisconsin, if a tenant has deposited a security deposit to his/her landlord as part of a residential tenancy, the  landlord must comply with one of two options within 21 days after the tenant “surrenders” the landlord’s rental unit:

1.   Return the tenant’s security deposit, or

2.   Send the tenant a security deposit transmittal letter (which I refer to as a “21 day letter”) explaining how the tenant’s security deposit was applied.

Unfortunately too many landlords have gotten themselves into trouble when it comes to the issue of returning a tenant’s security deposit.  While there are many ways to screw up, most of the mistakes that landlords make regarding this topic fall into one of three categories.

First, a landlord makes improper deductions from the tenant’s security deposit.

Second, the 21 day letter is sent late.

Third, the 21 day letter is not sent at all.

 Failure to abide by ATCP 134.06 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code – which deals with security deposits in residential tenancies — can result in the tenant being awarded double damages and attorneys fees. 

A little over a year ago I wrote a  post on the topic of how to draft a legal 21 day letter to your tenant.  Due to the continued popularity of that post I thought it would be helpful to include a video clip from a seminar that I presentedawhile back on this important topic.

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Don’t Miss Landlord Boot Camp on February 26th!

Feb 9

Posted by Tristan R. Pettit, Esq. in AASEW, Seminars | 2 Comments

The Apartment Association of Southeastern Wisconsin’s (AASEW) will be offering its third annual Landlord Boot Camp on Saturday, February 26, 2011 from 8:30 am – 5:30 pm.  Learn everything that you need to know about Landlord-Tenant law in Wisconsin at this all-day seminar.

Yours truly will be the presenter and I will be addressing the following topics: 

- Screening Rental Applicants

- Written Screening Criteria

- Fair Housing (Discrimination) law

- Rental Documents (Rental Agreements, Nonstandard Rental Provisions, Rules & Regulations, Pet Agreements . . .)

- Notices Terminating Tenancy

- Causes for Eviction

- ATCP 134

- Security deposit transmittal letters (“21 day letters”)

- The judicial eviction process

- Abandoned tenant property

- Collections . .. . and much much  more.

You can view a detailed outline of the course here.

Cost to attend the seminar will be $159 for AASEW members and $249 for non-members.  All attendees will receive a manual that includes over 100 pages of outlines, case law, relevant statutes and regulations, and templates to assist you with managing your rental properties.

The seminar will be held at the Clarion Hotel located at 5311 S. Howell Avenue, Milwaukee, WI  53207.

Last year’s AASEW Landlord Boot Camp was filled to capacity and we even had to turn a few people away.  So call early to reserve your spot.

Here are two comments from attendees at last year’s Boot Camp:

“I really enjoyed the class.  The course materials were very helpful.  The location was very convenient.  I learned a lot about screening and evictions.  I would highly recommend the course.  It should be taught to all landlords.  Thanks” – Lisa Wolff

“We have owned our rental properties for over ten years and in January of 2009 we decided to join the AASEW.  We jumped right in by signing up for the Landlord Boot Camp.  We both learned so much and have had the opportunity to utilize so much of what we learned already.  Tristan is an excellent teacher and the included manual is a wonderful resource.”  – Steve and Kathy Kinnamon, Woodcreek Apartments, LLC.

Remember that “landlording” is a business — so take the time to educate yourself on how to better manage your business.

Contact Paulette Vildberg, Executive Director of AASEW, at (414) 276-7378 or paulette@apartmentassoc.org today to reserve your spot.

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Don’t Miss DR. RENT at AASEW’s Next Meeting on Monday, January 17th!!

Jan 14

Posted by Tristan R. Pettit, Esq. in AASEW, Seminars | 4 Comments

On Monday, January 17, 2011 at 7 p.m., John “Dr. Rent” Fischer will be the featured speaker at the AASEW’s February membership meeting.  John will be presenting his most requested seminar entitled “Top Ten Mistakes That Landlords Make.”  The meeting will be held at the Best Western Midway Hotel which is located at 1005 S. Moorland Road in Brookfield.

Besides, being a blogging buddy of mine — John’s blog is entitled the Dr. Rent Chronicles —  John is a Wausau area landlord and landlord-tenant law guru, and Past-President og the Wisconsin Apartment Association.  John is a very dynamic speaker – you will not want to miss his presentation.  His most recent post is a great overview of Rent Certificates.

Here is some more info about John:

John H. Fischer is a Wausau area landlord.  He started working part-time with Emmerich & Associates, Inc. in 1993 and since then has worked in nearly every aspect of the real investment field.  Although he still works with Emmerich & Associates, managing their non-residential portfolio, in 2006 he purchased the bulk of their residential inventory and founded HelpRent, Co.

Observing a number of old and new landlords going to court and having a hard time because of their lack of understanding of Wisconsin’s complicated landlord-tenant laws and procedures, John has been making an effort to educate landlords on the proper way to do things for over a decade.  He has taught classes on everything from accounting, to proper management procedures, to landlord-tenant law.  He has provided training sessions to a number of local apartment associations as well as the Wisconsin Apartment Association.  He offers a series of courses in real estate through the University of Wisconsin Continuing Education program.

John is the past president of the Wausau Area Apartment Association and was the 2010 president of the Wisconsin Apartment Associations.  He has degrees in International Business Management as well as Human Resources Management from the UW-Madison School of Business.  He is also a graduate of Bryce Harlow Institute for Business and Government Affairs at Georgetown University.

Also known as Dr. Rent, John answers landlord and tenant questions on his weekly radio talk show which can be heard on Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on WNRB-LP 93.3 FM, a local Wausau readio station.  He also participates in a number of online forums.  He is a feature contributor to WausauBlog and is a featured writed at Citizen Wausau.

I hope to see everyone at the meeting!

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Landlord Boot Camp – Saturday, February 26, 2011

Nov 22

Posted by Tristan R. Pettit, Esq. in AASEW, Seminars | 3 Comments

The Apartment Association of Southeastern Wisconsin’s (AASEW) will be offering its third annual Landlord Boot Camp on Saturday, February 26, 2011 from 8:30 am – 5:30 pm.  Learn everything that you need to know about Landlord-Tenant law in Wisconsin at this all-day seminar.

Yours truly will be the presenter and I will be addressing the following topics: 

- Screening Rental Applicants

- Written Screening Criteria

- Fair Housing (Discrimination) law

- Rental Documents (Rental Agreements, Nonstandard Rental Provisions, Rules & Regulations, Pet Agreements . . .)

- Notices Terminating Tenancy

- Causes for Eviction

- ATCP 134

- Security deposit transmittal letters (“21 day letters”)

- The judicial eviction process

- Abandoned tenant property

- Collections . .. . and much much  more.

You can view a detailed outline of the course here.

Cost to attend the seminar will be $159 for AASEW members and $249 for non-members.  All attendess will receive a manual that includes over 100 pages of outlines, case law, relevant statutes and regulations, and templates to assist you with managing your rental properties.

The seminar will be held at the Clarion Hotel located at 5311 S. Howell Avenue, Milwaukee, WI  53207.

Last year’s AASEW Landlord Boot Camp was filled to capacity and we even had to turn a few people away.  Don’t let that happen to you! 

Here are two comments from attendees at last year’s Boot Camp:

“I really enjoyed the class.  The course materials were very helpful.  The location was very convenient.  I learned a lot about screening and evictions.  I would highly recommend the course.  It should be taught to all landlords.  Thanks” – Lisa Wolff

“We have owned our rental properties for over ten years and in January of 2009 we decided to join the AASEW.  We jumped right in by signing up for the Landlord Boot Camp.  We both learned so much and have had the opportunity to utilize so much of what we learned already.  Tristan is an excellent teacher and the included manual is a wonderful resource.”  – Steve and Kathy Kinnamon, Woodcreek Apartments, LLC.

Landlording is a business — take the time to educate yourself on how to better manage your business.

Contact Paulette Vildberg, Executive Director of AASEW, at (414) 276-7378 or paulette@apartmentassoc.org today to reserve your spot.

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Upcoming Landlord-Tenant Law Seminar on Nov. 3rd.

Oct 14

Posted by Tristan R. Pettit, Esq. in Seminars | No Comments

I will be co-presenting a landlord-tenant law seminar for Sterling Education Services (S.E.S.) on Wednesday, November 3, 2010.

The seminar is entitled “8th Annual Landlord-Tenant Law Update“ and will run from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm.  Registration will open at 8 am.  The seminar will be held at The Residence Inn Downtown which is located at 648 N. Plankinton Avenue in Milwaukee.

I will be speaking on three main topics:

1.   Screening & Qualifying Prospective Tenants

2.   Rental Documents

3.   The Judicial Eviction Process

Other topics that will be covered by my co-presenters include:

- Terminating a Tenancy

- Bankruptcy and Collection Issues

- “Green” Building and “Green” Leases

- Ethical Considerations in Landlord-Tenant Law

My co-presenters include: Attorney Richard Check of Richard A. Check S.C., Attorney Brian Schuk of Wassel, Harvey & Schuk LLP, and Attorney Matt Fortney of Quarles & Brady LLP.

Cost is $319 per person and includes a manual complete with the presenters outlines and additional handouts and forms.  If you mention that you are a friend of mine, SES will give you a $50 discount — $269.

This seminar would be perfect for landlords, property mangers, realtors and attorneys.  CLE credits have been applied for both Wisconsin and Illinois as have BOMI credits and CPE credits

To register please contact Sterling Education Services at (715) 855-0498 or www.sterlingeducation.com.  The seminar registration number is 10WI11245.

Here is a link to a PDF of the brochure that was sent out.

Hope to see you there.

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AASEW Landlord Tradeshow – This Wednesday – Sept. 22nd

Sep 20

Posted by Tristan R. Pettit, Esq. in AASEW, Seminars | No Comments

Annual Landlord Tradeshow!  
 
Bring 2 non perishable food items that we will donate to the Hunger Task Force for free admission, free seminars, free entrance to the exhibit hall, a chance to win some great raffle prizes and free appetizers 
 
September 22nd, 2010
Serb Hall, 5101 W. Oklahoma Avenue, Milwaukee
 
Seminars 12:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. (doors will open at 11:40 p.m. for first seminar)
Exhibit hall open from 12:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.
  
Be sure to visit our exhibit hall to talk with vendors that offer products and services for the rental property industry and graciously support our tradeshow!
 
 

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Do Not Miss the 11th Annual AASEW Tradeshow on Sept. 22, 2010

Sep 8

Posted by Tristan R. Pettit, Esq. in AASEW, Seminars | 2 Comments

Do you know what you can legally deduct from a tenant’s security deposit?  Looking for ways to improve your cash flow? Need a few sales tips to fill your vacancies?  Are you in Compliance with State and Federal Fair Housing Laws?   You will get the answers and more at the Apartment Association of Southeastern Wisconsin (AASEW) Annual Landlord Tradeshow!
 
Free seminars.
Free entrance to exhibit hall.
Free appetizers.
Network with hundreds of rental property owners and real estate professionals! 
Need a product or service for your rental business?  Visit our exhibit hall and talk with vendors that service our industry!
Plus, find our Traders’ Corner in the exhibit hall and bring your property listings if you are in the market to buy or sell!
 
Admission is FREE with 2 non-perishable food items that we will donate to the Hunger Task Force
                     
September 22nd, 2010
 
Seminars 12:00 p.m. -6:00 p.m.
Exhibit Hall open from 12:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
 

The seminars that will be offered include:

-        Security Deposits: What A Landlord Can Legally Deduct From A Tenant’s Security Deposit (Attorney Tristan R. Pettit of Petrie & Stocking S.C.) 

-        Improving Your Cash Flow: Tips for Rental Property Owners (Don Hill of Heartland Information Research) 

-        Rental Business Ownership: Pros and Cons of Using An LLC (Attorney Heiner Giese of Giese & Weden S.C.) 

-        Are You In Compliance With State and Federal Fair Housing Laws? (Margaret Bowitz of the Milwaukee Fair Housing Council)

-        Sales Tips To Fill Your Vacancies (Andi Simmons of Start Renting) 

-        Saving Energy and Dollars In Your Rental Business (Jeffrey Mackey of WE Energies) 

-        Reduce Interior and Exterior Paint Problems: Save Time and Money (Gary Paul and Steve VanGorp of Diamond Vogel Paints) 

-        Is Your Prospective Tenant a Good Credit Risk? (Kathy Haines of Landlord Services LLC) 

-        Financing Programs For The Investor (Dan Kleinke of Merit Financial)

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