Wisconsin § 895.489 Civil liability exemption; tenancy references.

Wisconsin Statutes

§ 895.489 — Civil liability exemption; tenancy references.

Wisconsin § 895.489

Ch. 895Damages, liability, and miscellaneous provisions regarding actions in courts

Subch.subch. II of ch. 895 SUBCHAPTER II

EXEMPTIONS FROM, AND LIMITATIONS ON, LIABILITY

This text of Wisconsin § 895.489 (Civil liability exemption; tenancy references.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Wis. Stat. § 895.489 (2026).

Text

489
489(1) (1) In this section:
489(1)(a) (a) “Reference” means a written or oral statement about the rental performance of an applicant for tenancy and may include statements about the applicant’s payment history, conformance to rental agreement requirements, or conformance to local and state laws; factual statements regarding any rental agreement enforcement actions, including notices given under s. 704.17 , 704.19 , or 710.15 (5r) ; and factual statements about any dispute settlement between the landlord and applicant in accordance with any agreement between the landlord and applicant relating to termination of the applicant’s tenancy.
489(1)(b) (b) “Tenant” means a residential tenant, regardless of the type of tenancy or rental period.
489(2) (2) A landlord who, on 

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895.489
895.489(1) (1) In this section:
895.489(1)(a) (a) “Reference” means a written or oral statement about the rental performance of an applicant for tenancy and may include statements about the applicant’s payment history, conformance to rental agreement requirements, or conformance to local and state laws; factual statements regarding any rental agreement enforcement actions, including notices given under s. 704.17 , 704.19 , or 710.15 (5r) ; and factual statements about any dispute settlement between the landlord and applicant in accordance with any agreement between the landlord and applicant relating to termination of the applicant’s tenancy.
895.489(1)(b) (b) “Tenant” means a residential tenant, regardless of the type of tenancy or rental period.
895.489(2) (2) A landlord who, on the request of a prospective landlord of an applicant for tenancy or on the request of the applicant for tenancy, provides a reference to the prospective landlord is presumed to be acting in good faith and, unless lack of good faith is shown by clear and convincing evidence, is immune from all civil liability that may result from providing that reference. The presumption of good faith under this subsection may be rebutted only upon a showing by clear and convincing evidence that the landlord knowingly provided false information in the reference or made the reference maliciously.