Several city alders will be proposing a new ordinance requiring an annual permit from people renting out homes or rooms through Airbnb or similar tourist rooming services to better enforce and clarify the rules and strengthen neighborhoods.
Currently three city agencies oversee regulations, which requires a lot of staff time, and many homeowners are either unclear on existing regulations or lie about their property’s usage, according to a Wisconsin State Journal story. Some property owners have purchased or leased properties, for example, with the sole intent of using them as tourist rooming houses, despite rules that require that they be primary residences.
