Can a landlord retaliate against a tenant for complaining in Wisconsin?
No. In Wisconsin, a landlord may not raise the rent, cut services, bring an eviction, refuse to renew a lease, or threaten any of those things if a preponderance of the evidence shows it would not have happened but for retaliation against a tenant’s good-faith complaint about a defect, complaint to the landlord about a code violation, or exercise of a legal right. A landlord may still evict a tenant who has not paid rent, and the statute sets no period of presumed retaliation. Separately, the federal Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to threaten or interfere with anyone for exercising fair housing rights. This is Wis. Stat. § 704.45.
| What | Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Retaliation by a landlord | Prohibited by statute |
| Time period in the statute | Prohibited; no set period |
| How the period works | No period; the tenant proves retaliation |
Source
Wis. Stat. § 704.45
Read the statute in the Wisconsin Statutes (Wisconsin State Legislature): docs.legis.wisconsin.gov.
Checked against the statute on October 23, 2026.
This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.
How Seayora uses this rule
When an owner prepares an eviction in Seayora, it lists any repair request opened on the unit in the last 180 days that is still open, not to stop the case but because the tenant will raise retaliation and the owner should have an answer. Every repair request keeps the date it was filed.
Guides on this rule
- Landlord Retaliation Laws: Protected Tenant Acts and Time Limits — When an eviction, rent increase or cut in services is presumed retaliatory: 180 days in California, six months in Texas, a year in New York.
Compare this rule in every state
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The same question in other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
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