GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – For those looking to take advantage of the inevitably large crowds that’ll be heading to Green Bay for next year’s NFL draft, renting out your home could land you several thousand dollars.
For Packers-crazed fans looking for a place to stay for the 2025 draft, how about a Packers-themed rental house kitty-corner from Lambeau Field?
“When Brett Favre was leaving Green Bay, everybody wanted to come into Green Bay,” says Debbie Jacques, who owns a short-term rental property on the corner of Lombardi and Oneida streets. “There was not enough hotel space, so myself and a few other owners on the street decided that we should offer accommodations.”
Jacques has owned the property for 22 years. She bought it and ran a daycare out of it for 12 years, then converted it to a short-term rental.
For the draft, her rates are posted on Airbnb for $5,000 per night — about double what she charges for Packers game days.
“I think we’re pretty much in line with our pricing. People want to come here and experience this historical event because it’ll probably never be in Green Bay again, and I don’t think there’s a price tag on it. There’s not,” she adds.
And while not everyone has a home quite like her Packers house, there are still many who are hoping to cash in on the draft, too.
“We certainly saw an uptick in the number of people calling up, asking questions, putting feelers out there. ‘Is this going to be the right thing for me?’ and ‘Do I want to do this? What are the hoops I have to jump through to get there?'” says Aaron Schuette with the Village of Ashwaubenon Community Development.
But it’s not as simple as taking photos of your home and posting them online. First, you need to get licensed in Brown County and undergo health and safety inspections.
Depending on how long you’re looking to rent your property, you may need a state license, too. Then, you’ll need to contact your local municipality.
“Our rules are different than De Pere’s and Allouez’s and Green Bay’s, so it’s specific to the community,” Schuette adds.
After that, you need to make sure you’re properly insured. Local officials say following these steps is vital, and it all comes down to safety.
“The last thing we want to see at any time, draft or any sort of short-term rental, is our resident’s home affected and not being able to cover that by not being properly insured or licensed,” says Nick Meisner with Discover Green Bay.
Experienced renters like Jacques agree. She says a poor renting experience will damage Green Bay’s hospitable reputation.
“We don’t want someone just to open up their house and for something to happen. We want to keep everyone safe,” Jacques says.
Her biggest piece of advice for those thinking about leaping into the short-term rental world?
“Make sure you do a background check. Make sure you know exactly who is staying there. Get a list of every person that is staying there, just in case something does happen, that you know who to contact and all that type of thing,” she says.
A full list of steps to becoming a short-term rental property, including contacts for your local municipality, can be found on Discover Green Bay’s website.
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