Wisconsin landlord rules: deposits, late fees and notices

Security deposit

Maximum deposit

No statewide cap

Return deadline

21 days after the tenancy ends

Penalty for late return

2x as an unfair trade practice (plus fees)

Interest owed

No

Work out the return date for a move-out

Source: Wis. Admin. Code ATCP 134.06

Late fees

Rule

none set by statute

Grace period

Not in our data

No statute cited in our data

Notice periods

Notice to pay or quit

5 days

Ending a month-to-month tenancy

28 days

Notice before entering a unit

12 hours

Note

5-day notice carries a right to cure

Work out the last day of a notice

No statute cited in our data

Screening

Source-of-income protection

Only where a local ordinance adds it.

Note

Madison ordinance

No statute cited in our data

Licensing

To manage for others

No license required.

No statute cited in our data

Verify this with the statute or a local attorney before you act on it. The rule changed recently or has known ambiguity.

How long an eviction takes

Moderate: about 1 to 2 months. This is a rough tier from our data, not a court timeline.

A federal rule that can override this

Notice for nonpayment on covered properties

30 days

Note

Applies to 'covered properties' (federally backed mortgage or federal housing program). The 30-day notice requirement has no statutory sunset and courts are split - safest practice is a 30-day nonpayment notice on any covered property, regardless of shorter state timelines.

Source: CARES Act §4024