With mixed emotions, we announce the retirement of Heiner Giese, the Rental Property Association of Wisconsin’s (RPA) devoted attorney and advocate for property owners for over 33 years. Since the early 1990s, Heiner has led RPA’s legislative and legal efforts, safeguarding the rights of rental property owners and fostering reasonable housing policies in Wisconsin.
Heiner began his journey with RPA alongside then-attorney Bob Smith, ultimately succeeding him when Bob retired. Over three decades, Heiner’s expertise and unwavering commitment have profoundly impacted our organization and the rental housing community.
Legislative Leadership
Heiner played a vital role in shaping local regulations, including lead paint rules, nuisance property ordinances, and property recording requirements, to minimize their impact on responsible property owners.
Between 2011 and 2018, Heiner and the RPA Legislative Committee, in close collaboration with the Wisconsin Realtors, spearheaded six landmark state bills that transformed Wisconsin’s rental laws. These included streamlining the eviction process, prohibiting local eviction moratoriums, restricting rental inspection programs, capping inspection fees, and ensuring owners could represent their LLCs in eviction court. (A detailed summary of these accomplishments will be available.)
These victories created a more equitable legal landscape for rental property owners across the state.
Legal Advocacy
Heiner has been a vigilant advocate for property owners in Milwaukee County Courts, working to ensure compliance with Wisconsin law and fair treatment for landlords.
At the state level, Heiner successfully argued before the Wisconsin Supreme Court to prevent sealing eviction cases after one year and helped secure a pivotal decision affirming owners’ rights to evict tenants for lease violations, such as illegal drug use.
Nationally, Heiner represented private rental owners through the National Housing Provider Coalition, collaborating with groups like the National Association of Realtors and submitting an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in a case challenging eviction moratoriums. He was the only rental owner representative at two national housing conferences in D.C.
A Legacy of Advocacy
Heiner oversaw RPA’s eviction study, countering anti-owner narratives. He also played a key role in the Milwaukee Rental Housing Coalition, ensuring more effective distribution of COVID Emergency Rental Assistance funds than owners in other areas.
Even as retirement nears, Heiner continues to guide the Association, working closely with his successor, Attorney Kirsten Pezewski, to ensure a smooth transition.
Thank You, Heiner
Heiner’s leadership and advocacy have profoundly shaped Wisconsin’s rental housing landscape and left an enduring legacy for property owners.
Thank you, Heiner, for 33 years of tireless dedication. You will be deeply missed, and we wish you all the best in your well-deserved retirement.
By Heiner Giese, RPA Attorney
At the meeting tonight:
Tim Ballering reelected as treasurer and board member by unanimous vote.
For the five board slots the five incumbents were running:
There were two write-ins -- Sam Stair and Ken Bartels.
The five successful candidates were Dawn, Marcus, Mike, Tristan and Sam. Adam McCarthy and Ken Bartels were not elected.
The new board now selects the President and four Executive Board members at the next board meeting.
At a special Board of Commissioners meeting on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee’s (HACM) Board approved a resolution authorizing staff to finalize a contract with CVR Associates, Inc. to manage and operate its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.
“I appreciate the Board acting with urgency to approve the award of this contract, allowing us to finalize the contract and begin the transition,” said Willie L. Hines, Jr., HACM Secretary-Executive Director. “CVR is highly qualified, and we believe their expertise will help us complete the required federal corrective actions and return our Section 8 program to high-performer status.”
Read the Full Release Here
The RPA received some good news from the Wisconsin Supreme Court today: Our brief, including the supplement, were both accepted. This is in regards to the Koble case that the RPA has been working on and educating our members on.
This has been a joint effort between the RPA, WRA (WI Realtors Association), the AANW (Apartment Association of Northwest WI), FVAA (Fox Valley Apartment Association), and others.
The RPA and our amazing partners/allies will continue to work on legislative issues like this to help our members (and all rental property owners in WI).
At the Landlord Appreciation Event on 10/30/24, hosted by the Milwaukee County Housing Division, Ed Riggenbach of Welcome Home Milwaukee was given an award as a housing provider who has gone above and beyond in the community.
It's great to see an RPA Member being recognized in the community. Congrats Ed!
When: Wednesday, October 30, 2024 at 5:00pm
Where: 200 W Pleasant St, Milwaukee WI 53212
This event is sponsored by Milwaukee County Housing Services.
RSVP Here
A last-minute announcement from the Milwaukee County Housing Authority.
Topic: Learn about current payment standards and how we determine rent amounts with our Director of Supportive Housing, Damir Djidic.
Microsoft Teams
By Dawn Anastasi, RPA Board Member
You may have seen the news that HACM (Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee) is undergoing issues with running their properties. These issues include delayed maintenance and lost rent payments. HUD, in two letters, notified the agency that its Section 8 bookkeeping contained discrepancies in the millions of dollars and posed a fraud risk.
Recently, HACM has been investigating outsourcing their management to an organization out of Florida.
Read the Article Here for a Recap
What you may not know is that there have been issues with management of Housing Authorities around the country.
Some examples:
Washington, DC
Article from March 2024
East St. Louis, IL
Article from June 2024
Atlanta, GA
Article from September 2024
St. Landry Parish, LA
Boston, MA
Springfield, MA
Article from July 2024
Lee's Summit, MO
Article from August 2024
Columbus, OH
Tulsa, OK
Houston, TX
You're invited to attend a FREE training seminar for owners and managers of rental housing in Waukesha County.
When: Friday, November 8, 2024, 1pm - 3pm
Where: Pewaukee Public Library, 210 Main Street, Community Room
Seminar topics include:
Click Here to Register
Today (Tuesday, October 15), a supermajority of the Common Council voted in favor of a package of investments aimed at crisis prevention citywide. Common Council President José G. Pérez and Finance and Personnel Committee Chair Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic noted, “The Council sent a strong message today with our actions in support of eviction prevention, homebuyer down payment assistance, housing for LGBTQ+ youth, pregnant mothers in need, youth programming, and affordable housing.”
“We are proud to put forth innovative partnerships aimed at providing aid to our constituents who need it the most. We thank the twelve members who supported this solution-oriented package, and ask the Mayor to sign this community-centric plan so we can put these pandemic relief funds into the hands of our partners and onto our streets as soon as possible,” they continued.
Organizations/projects that were allocated funding include: Concordia 27; Eviction Free Milwaukee; Zilber Family Foundation - The Bridge Project; Courage Milwaukee; Your Move Milwaukee; and the Homebuyer Down Payment Assistance Program.
BECOME A MEMBER - JOIN TODAY!
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