Chris Kappl is a Wisconsin real estate investor and developer based in the Milwaukee area, known publicly for a large residential and commercial rental portfolio held through a network of limited liability companies, a subdivision development in Monroe County, a reversed child support ruling from the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in November 2025, and neighbor complaints about large events at his Okauchee Lake home.
Real Estate Portfolio in Milwaukee
Kappl’s rental operation runs primarily through Appleton Rental Homes LLC, headquartered at 8210 W. Appleton Avenue in Milwaukee and in business since January 2013.1Better Business Bureau. Appleton Rental Homes LLC The company carries an F rating from the Better Business Bureau, which the BBB attributes to a failure to respond to three consumer complaints.
Individual properties are held under a series of numbered entities, including TE I LLC, TE III LLC, TE IV LLC, TE V LLC, TE VII LLC, and TE VIII LLC, among others.2City of Milwaukee. Property Assessment Search Results for Chris Kappl The Milwaukee holdings are concentrated on the north and west sides and consist mostly of single-family homes, duplexes, bungalows, and some mixed-use buildings. Many were acquired between 2008 and 2013, a pattern consistent with buying during and after the housing downturn, and now carry assessed values well above their purchase prices.
The commercial side of the portfolio includes apartment buildings on West Capitol Drive and a mixed-use storefront-and-apartment property on West Lisbon Avenue assessed at nearly $491,000. The Appleton Avenue office and warehouse, at $353,300, is the highest-valued property listed in the Milwaukee assessment records under his name.
Highland Court Apartments
In late 2025, a Kappl-linked entity, TE XXI LLC, purchased the Highland Court Apartments at 2725 W. Highland Blvd. in Milwaukee for $2.5 million from Wisconsin Robinson Family LP of River Hills.3Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee Apartment Building Where a May Fire Took Five Lives Is Sold The building had been the site of a May 11, 2025 fire that killed five people and displaced roughly 100 tenants.4Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Cause Still Unknown in Milwaukee Highland Court Fire That Killed 5 It lacked automatic fire-suppression sprinklers, a common condition for Milwaukee high-rises built before 1974. At the time of the sale, the building was still uninhabitable and off-limits to former tenants pending repairs.
Coachlight Communities and the Tomah Subdivision
Kappl also operates under the name Coachlight Communities. In December 2019, the City of Tomah Planning Commission reviewed certified survey maps submitted by “Coachlight Communities–Christopher Kappl” for the Woodridge Subdivision in Monroe County, covering 80 lots and several outlots across parts of the City of Tomah and the Town of La Grange.5City of Tomah. Planning Commission Agenda, December 19, 2019
Child Support Case Reversed on Appeal
Kappl has been involved in a prolonged post-divorce child support fight with his former wife, Kristin N. Kappl. The couple divorced in June 2019. Their Marital Settlement Agreement set his monthly child support at $17,000, based on an agreed annual income of $1,400,000, and defined income as “business profit (as opposed to taxable income) plus any W2 wages paid to husband.”6Wisconsin Court of Appeals. Kristin N. Kappl v. Christopher F. Kappl, No. 2025AP54
In February 2023, Kristin Kappl moved to modify the support amount, arguing his income had risen substantially. Competing forensic accountants produced very different numbers. Her expert, Gaylene Stingl, placed his annual income at $4.9 million. His expert, Terry Hoover, first reported roughly $3.9 million, then submitted a second report lowering the figure to about $2.84 million by relying on accelerated depreciation deductions.
The circuit court adopted the lower figure from Hoover’s second report, increased child support to $24,512 per month, and set the new amount to take effect August 1, 2024. Kristin appealed.
On November 19, 2025, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals reversed and remanded, finding several errors:
- The circuit court admitted Hoover’s second report even though it was filed after the discovery deadline and after depositions had ended, leaving Kristin’s attorneys no opportunity to conduct discovery on it. The circuit court had believed the report was prompted by new tax information, but testimony showed it was prepared at counsel’s request without any new data.
- The circuit court did not explain why it allowed accelerated depreciation to reduce income for support purposes, an approach that appeared to conflict with the MSA’s definition of income as business profit rather than taxable income. The appellate court noted that Christopher effectively conceded the point by not responding to it on appeal.
- The circuit court set the new amount to begin in August 2024 rather than March 2023, the month after the modification motion was filed, without adequate reasoning for the delay.
The case was sent back to the circuit court for further proceedings consistent with the appellate opinion. The ruling was issued as a summary disposition and may not be cited as precedent in Wisconsin courts.
Neighbor Complaints at the Okauchee Lake Home
Kappl and his wife Natalie own a home at W334N6569 Jorgenson Way on Okauchee Lake, within the Village of Lac La Belle. Neighbors have complained for several years that the property is being used for events amounting to commercial activity in a residential zone.7Village of Lac La Belle. Village Board Meeting Minutes, April 7, 2025
At an April 7, 2025 Village Board meeting, neighbors described four years of noise problems. Resident Tom Godar argued the property was being used commercially. Complaints included fireworks audible with windows closed and events drawing as many as 300 paid attendees plus staff, with multi-day setup and cleanup.
The meeting was also prompted by a proposed “Freedom Waves Summer Benefit Concert” at the residence, planned for July 17, 2025, from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Village Board President Robert C. Hultquist said no decision would be made that night and announced that the Board would work with the Village Attorney to draft an ordinance giving the Board authority to deny future event requests of this kind. The village attorney noted that existing public nuisance rules already applied to all residents, not the Kappl property alone. Suggested alternatives included busing attendees from a nearby school to reduce traffic and moving events to community parks with more space and parking. As of the April 2025 meeting, no final action had been taken on either the concert request or the proposed ordinance.