College Move-In Tips
Mid-August signals a mass migration for college students statewide – some coming to campus, some leaving campus, and many switching from one rental unit to another. For apartment renters either leaving a property or starting a new lease, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection offers simple tips to ease the transition.
“Between buying supplies, packing,
securing a truck and finding helpers,
moving can be a stressful process,” said
Frank Frassetto, Division Administrator
for Trade and Consumer Protection.
“College students who rent must also
navigate the world of security deposits
and lease agreements, adding an
additional level of potential confusion
for these young consumers.”
To help renters understand their rights,
DATCP offers a “Tenants’
Rights and Responsibilities” fact
sheet as a free download. This document
addresses a wide range of rental-related
topics including security deposits, rent
increases, evictions, property
maintenance and more. Students should
familiarize themselves with their rights
before they start the move in/move out
process and should share this fact sheet
with fellow students.
To help landlords and tenants avoid
common misunderstandings, the agency
also offers its “Guide
for Landlords and Tenants” document
as a free download. The Guide is more
extensive than the fact sheet and
answers commonly asked questions about
each party’s rights and responsibilities
in simple language.
Top tips for move out:
• Ask your landlord for a preliminary
walkthrough. This will give you a chance
to see what needs special attention for
cleaning or repair before you take your
final tour of the property with the
rental company and face potential
deposit deductions.
• Before you turn over the keys to the
rental company, make sure that they have
your new address for sending your
security deposit.
• Take detailed photos of the property
before your final walkthrough in order
to document the condition of the
property when you left.
• If you are moving out at the end of
your lease, the landlord must return
your security deposit, less any amounts
that may be withheld, within 21 days
after you move out. If you move out
before the end of your lease, the
landlord has 21 days to return your
security deposit from either the last
day of your lease or the date a new
tenant moves in (whichever comes first).
Top tips for move in:
• Your lease is a contract. Familiarize
yourself with your responsibilities and
any additional terms required by the
landlord before you sign.
• If your lease requires a security
deposit, you have seven days from the
first rental date to complete a check-in
report that notes pre-existing defects.
If you fail to return a check-in sheet
within seven days, you may be giving up
your right to contest some security
deposit withholdings for pre-existing
conditions. You should take photos of
any damages, submit copies of the photos
to your landlord with the report, and
keep a copy of all of these materials
for yourself.
• At the start of a tenancy, the
landlord must provide you with the name
and address of a person who can be
readily contacted regarding maintenance
problems. But unless otherwise agreed,
tenants are usually responsible for
routine minor repairs and are required
to comply with any maintenance and
sanitation requirements imposed on
tenants by local housing codes.
If you have issues regarding your
security deposit or questions about your
rights as a tenant, contact the Consumer
Protection Hotline at 800-422-7128 or
via email:
datcphotline@wi.gov. Also, look for
rental assistance organizations in your
area and find out if they offer walk-in
service to discuss any issues you may
face.
For additional consumer protection
information, visit the Consumer
Protection Bureau at
http://datcp.wi.gov or find us on
Facebook at
www.facebook.com/wiconsumer.
Touring Tauchen Family Farms
Along with his Assembly job, Representative Gary Tauchen also runs a dairy farm with his family. I, along with several other legislators, recently got the chance to tour this farm. We then traveled further to tour Green Valley Dairy, owned by the Jacobs' family, and known for its use of renewable resources. In fact, in 2013 the dairy earned the 2013 Outstanding Achievement in Renewable Energy award from the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. Thank you to the Tauchen and Jacobs families for providing excellent tours and teaching us more about one of Wisconsin's top industries!
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