One painful interaction at a time.
I can’t count the number of times a week this happens when my staff and volunteers are doing housing counseling, but here’s a great (personal) facebook conversation with a tenant that highlights just one of the over 70 issues impacted in Madison – this one issue is especially critical with our 1.88% vacancy rate. Tenants are starting to be outraged about what happened, but its too late.
T: … just have a question… did Scott walker put a bill into effect stating that landlords can charge a tenant 3x rent now….so say if the apt is 550… they can charge you tripple that amount now? Is that true or false….. please awnser
Brenda Konkel: Yes, 12/21/11 the state revoked Madison’s protections for tenants. http://tenantresourcecenter.org/pc/documents/simple%20explanation%20sb107%20only.pdf
Brenda Konkel: And the all tenants in the state this way . .. . http://tenantresourcecenter.org/pc/documents/AB183_analysisAmendment.pdf
Brenda Konkel: And now they are passing this one – which will affect Madison tenants this way – http://tenantresourcecenter.org/pc/documents/LRB1931_Madison.pdf
Brenda Konkel The December bill is the one that took away the protections about 3 times the rent – they could even do 4 or 5 times if they wanted.
T: So does that mean legally they can charge me 3x the rent
Brenda Konkel: Yes, as of 12/21/11
T: So if my rent is 500 they can legally charge me 1500$ a month no questions asked?
Brenda Konkel: yup- thank you Rep Vos, Sen Lasse and others . . . .
T: But some owners wont though ya think? Like the economy is messed up how can they make money like that?
Brenda Konkel: There is a 1.88% vacancy rate – which means they can ask for it and people who work at places like Epic can afford it – and will pay it. So, it makes it a lot harder to get a decent apartment – many landlords will take bigger risks, but there are few openings
T: If they do that how will the make money? Cause no ones going to rent if the apt if 500 n they are charging you 1500 for a 509$ apy
So what about people who work am2 minimum wage jobs who can’t afford it?
Brenda Konkel: Great question. Ask the people who passed the bill, we tried to stop it, but they have the votes.
T: Smh suckkkkkssss
And the real problems haven’t even begun. Once the renter market stabilizes at much higher prices, I suspect we will discover we have rapidly growing pockets of poverty and crime and overcrowded housing in several new areas of Madison.
When this occurs, Republican leaders will be ready to blame Madison’s city leaders for creating the problem. “If only you Madison lefties had taken advantage of Walker’s tools like New Berlin did”. Never mind that New Berlin never had much low income population to start out with to be displaced by the new policies.
And of course, the new pockets of poverty will create massive failures at the schools in the area. Those failures will be used to justify further expansion of voucher schools, which again will benefit areas like New Berlin at the expense of urban areas.
At some point, we will need to hold the GOP in contempt of the best interests of the people of Wisconsin. But by then they will have figured out how to legally block any challenge to their dominance.
Let me know when people are ready for Revolution. General Strike. Whatever. Something has got to change and I don’t think our political system is going to do it – its too corrupt and broken.
I am ready. What can I do?