A Packer-themed vacation rental in Green Bay. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — With the 2025 NFL Draft approaching, conversations about home rentals are growing.
Right now, there are 270 short-term rentals in the city of Green Bay.
“We anticipate as the season comes that the numbers will go up. I’m already getting calls about the draft,” says Mike Bouotott, the city’s compliance inspector.
As the draft grows nearer, city officials like Boutott want those considering entering into the short-term rental world to know it’s not as simple as just listing your home online.
“This placard lets you know you have an authorized short-term rental for the city of Green Bay. Without it, you are not authorized,” Boutott said as he held up a short-term rental permit for a group of dozens to see.
Those dozens of people went to Wednesday night’s short-term rental informational session, where Green Bay police and the city’s law and inspection departments gave a step-by-step process on how to apply — and what happens when police get called to rental properties.
Michael Friedman is one of the many who showed up to the meeting.
“It’s important to just understand the landscape of what’s happening in the rental industry here, but also to find out if there are specific regulation rules, things going on for the NFL Draft,” he says.
Friedman’s hospitality company, Simple Life Hospitality, specializes in managing short-term rentals in the area.
“We manage about six homes here currently around Lambeau Field, but we have over 100 homeowners who want to put their home in the draft program we have set up, and we need to make sure we’re following all the rules and regulations, the things that need to be done. Crossing all the Ts and dotting the Is,” he adds.
Friedman says his company is getting five to 10 calls per day from those who are interested in getting started in the short-term rental world simply for the draft.
Those in the rental game elsewhere — or those involved in long-term rentals — say they came to Wednesday’s meeting simply to soak up as much information as possible.
“I just also wanted to see what precautions there were so that I didn’t have my tenants pull fast ones on me, bringing in people that might be causing disturbances and stuff. As an owner, I have to watch out for the other tenants that live in the building too,” says Cinnamon Harley, a long-term rental owner in the area.
“The draft is obviously a big thing, so looking at possibly doing that for my primary residence, but also just to see if that’s a viable option in Green Bay going forward. Obviously learning all the new costs involved with the inspection, permits, stuff like that,” adds Anthony Schmidt, a long-term rental owner in communities around Green Bay.
Many in attendance asked officials if application fees or city ordinances would change for those looking to rent just for the draft, and officials say as of now, the answer is no.
The city also says they have a software program that scours renting sites to see who has rental homes listed in the city. If you’re caught renting without a permit, you’ll receive a letter asking you to go through the correct process.
If owners continuously ignore those letters, they could be fined.
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