Milwaukee renters can now breathe a little easier when it comes to fire safety in their homes. On Tuesday, the Milwaukee Common Council passed a vital ordinance requiring landlords to be more transparent about the fire safety status of their rental properties. According to the City of Milwaukee’s press release, the newly minted fire-safety disclosure ordinance (File #250302) aims to inform tenants about the state of fire alarms, sprinkler systems, and inspection dates in multifamily buildings with three or more units.
Thanks to unanimous support from the Council, landlords are now obliged to disclose whether their properties are fully compliant, legally exempt, or non-compliant with necessary fire-safety systems. Larger buildings and those with multiple stories, which previously might have operated within grey areas of safety requirements, will now face mandatory semiannual inspections. Designed to tackle old loopholes that left tenants uninformed, Alderman Peter Burgelis spearheaded the ordinance, stating in an announcement obtained by the City of Milwaukee website, “It’s rare for the entire Council to co-sponsor a file, and that unity speaks to just how urgent this issue is.”
The ordinance also increases scrutiny on buildings that fail to meet safety standards. Under the new rules, the Department of Neighborhood Services can issue vacate orders for structures deemed hazardous. The change addresses longstanding concerns about unclear regulations and inconsistent enforcement related to tenant safety. The measure advanced easily through the Public Safety & Health Committee and later passed the full Common Council without opposition…