Crime & Safety
WI Sues Milwaukee's Biggest Landlord, Cites Tenant Law Violations
The lawsuit accuses Joe Berrada, who owns thousands of apartment units through hundreds of companies, of violating multiple tenant laws.
MILWAUKEE, WI — Wisconsin filed a civil lawsuit against Joe Berrada, owner of Berrada Properties Management Inc., alleging that Berrada broke multiple state landlord-tenant laws, the Department of Justice announced Monday.
The 57-page suit accused Berrada of illegally imposing tenant fees, security deposit deductions and late rent fees and illegally evicting tenants, discarding their property and entering apartments at odd hours and without notice.
The suit asked for Berrada and his companies to pay up to $10,000 in fees for each time they violated several laws.
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The state believes Berrada may have violated these laws thousands of times, but doesn't know how many times exactly they have been committed yet, Wisconsin Department of Justice Deputy Communications Director Samantha Standley told Patch.
The suit also asked the landlord to pay tenants back for their losses and cover the state's investigation and prosecution costs.
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Berrada owns 170 limited liability companies that together own more than 8,000 apartments, mainly in Milwaukee and Racine, the department said.
Berrada Properties declined to comment to Patch.
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