FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

March 3, 2020

Contact: Senator Robert Cowles: (608) 266-0484

Bringing Condo Association Leadership to the Table 

Constituent-Driven Effort to Establish a Dispute Resolution Process Now Law

MADISON– Senator Robert Cowles (R-Green Bay) released the following joint statement after 2019 Senate Bill 512 was signed into law as 2019 Wisconsin Act 168. This legislation, which Senator Cowles authored with Representative Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay), creates a dispute resolution process between condominium association leadership and unit owners: 

“When constituents in Northeast Wisconsin approached us to explain the troubles they’ve been having with their condo association board and the burdensome legal process they had to undertake just to receive some answers, we knew that changes were necessary to give these constituents and others facing similar troubles a voice. While many unit owners have strong relationships with their condo association, others unfortunately do not.

“By establishing a statutory process that gives unit owners a seat at the table when condo associations are obstructing unit owners’ ability to maintain their condos or when unit owners question decisions that affect their property, we can ensure that Wisconsinites’ property rights are protected. I’m pleased to see what started as a phone call from a frustrated constituent is now signed into law.” 

2019 Wisconsin Act 168 allows a condominium association or unit owner to provide a notice of claim when aggrieved, allowing the other party to request a direct negotiation conference. If a unit owner makes a conference request, the association must participate. However, if a condo association makes a request, the unit owner may, but is not required to, participate in the negotiation conference. If either party chooses before a conference or during the process, disputes may still be settled in a local circuit court. 

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