If you’re a pool owner looking to make ends meet, renting out your pool might be a viable side hustle. Pool rentals are becoming increasingly popular for birthday parties, wedding receptions, baby showers, and other events, and it’s not just commercial pools that are reaping the rewards. Private pool owners use third-party online platforms to find guests who want to use their backyard oasis for a few short hours and are willing to pay well. Let’s take a look at the swimming pool safety, insurance, and regulatory considerations you need to think about before you jump into the crowd-sourced swimming pool space with both feet.
CNN touted it as “hacking” your pool to make “extra cash,” and they aren’t wrong. Apps like Swimply connect pool seekers to pool owners who are willing to rent out their pool area on an hourly basis. Listings feature the price-per-hour, the host’s screen name and whether they’ll be on-site, guest and parking limits, bathroom access, and pertinent details about the pool, like size, sanitation type, and depth. With a few clicks, a user can schedule their pool visit, and the owner gets an email with their guests’ information so they can be sure the pool is ready when they arrive.
While this seems like a convenient service for both parties, it’s not without controversy. As with Airbnb and other private-party rental platforms, neighbors can be concerned about strange visitors, traffic, noise, and misbehavior. Some communities are already seeking to limit renting out your pool part-time, the same as they are short-term home rentals and the rental of other piecemeal amenities, like tennis courts and dog parks.
The first step before entering the pool rental market is making sure you are allowed to enter it. While you may own your home, you’re still subject to the civic jurisdiction you live in, and you may be constrained by HOA bylaws if your property falls under HOA rules. Your local city planning department can tell you what rules may apply to renting out your pool and whether these differ from short-term home rentals.
Your next step is to ensure you’ll be protected from liability if an accident occurs on your property. Talk to your insurance carrier to find out if an additional rider is needed to rent out your pool. In many cases, commercial insurance is not required, but extra coverage may be needed.
Will guests only have access to the outdoor pool area through a side gate, or will you welcome them through your front door? Is there bathroom access available, and is it stand-alone near the pool? Will the kitchen freezer be available to keep ice cream cold for the party, or will they need to plan ahead to ensure they have the food they need in the condition they need it? Pool rentals shouldn’t entail full access to your house, but that doesn’t mean some prospective guests won’t ask anyway.
Make sure you have both a removable mesh pool fence and a swimming pool safety cover. These give you two layers of flexible protection against unsupervised pool access to reduce the risk of an accidental drowning incident. The cover and fence can be removed to open the pool, but the fence can also be reinstalled to help the supervising adults control traffic.
Ensure you have an emergency plan for accidents and the rescue equipment available poolside that may be needed to save a life. You should also be trained in water safety and infant, child, and adult CPR. While you may not be on the hook to be a lifeguard, you are a pool owner with a vested interest in protecting their investment (and the people who rent it).
Your pool safety rules and usage requirements should be printed clearly, laminated for water resistance, and available poolside for the supervising adults. This sets clear expectations for how you will maintain the pool area and the respect they will maintain for it and their own safety.
Take the time to talk to your neighbors about renting out your pool and find ways to show them thanks for their patience. After all, you’re choosing to open your home, but they’re dealing with their neighborhood being open, too. Staying on good terms means managing traffic, respecting their schedules, and handling issues promptly when they arise. Baked goods and neighborhood-resident-only pool parties can also help.
When you rent out your pool, you’re opening it up to more people more often. That means more cleaning is needed to present a clean, professional image, and more frequent maintenance will be needed to balance the sanitation chemicals in your pool water. Be sure to factor these costs into your price per hour to make sure you’re getting the profit you expect from pool rentals.
It’s a sad state of affairs that people can’t be secure in their own homes and property without worrying about others, but it is a necessity. Watch for guests who don’t seem as interested in your pool as in your cars, appliances, or furnishings. You’ll also want to invest in a home security system and keep your home secure when you aren’t renting your pool out to guests. In rare instances, scammers have posed as pool owners to make some quick money renting out another person’s pool, but Swimply says they’re always working to make their platform safer and more secure.
Your local independent installer is a swimming pool safety professional dedicated to protecting their community. They’ll discuss your pool’s needs, suggest options that may make renting out your pool safer, and give you a written quote outlining your options. Make sure you’re ready to provide a safer swimming pool experience for your guests. Contact your All-Safe Pool pro today.
Learn how to keep swimming pool costs down by choosing the right energy-efficient features and swimming pool covers to save more money. From controlling heat loss through radiation to moderating evaporation, here are our top tips.
Swimming pool accidents go beyond drowning fatalities to a wide range of situations that can cause injuries. Learn how to create a plan for emergency response and what pool safety equipment you should have on hand.
Pool safety for kids requires more than learning child and infant CPR. Learn what to look for in a babysitter or nanny and what to include on your babysitter safety checklist to protect your little ones
Enter your zip code to locate an independent installer in your area
Enter your zip code to locate an independent installer in your area
Enter in your zip code to let us know where your pool is located.
Due to the many variations in monitors, phones, and browsers, color samples and product examples may appear different on different screens. Computers and mobile devices are not all calibrated equally and color reproduction on the Internet is not precise. The same is true for printed items such as brochures and other sales literature.
In addition, the colors of our products photograph differently under different lighting conditions. For example, photos taken in full sunlight will vary from photos taken on a cloudy or overcast day. Similarly, shadows from nearby objects can affect the color and transparency of our products. If a precise color or specific shade is important, please inspect the actual color of your product prior to installation.
Many of our products’ materials are not available through typical stores and vendors and therefore must be custom manufactured specifically for our use. In order to control costs and provide you with the best value possible, our raw materials are produced in large batches and can often take several months to receive. The colors of our materials can, and often do, vary slightly from batch to batch. Although we make every effort to minimize color variations, we cannot be responsible for these differences when they occur. If a precise color or specific shade is important, please inspect the actual color of your product prior to installation.
For example, we use the name “putty” to describe some of our products. Your idea of the color “putty” may be different than someone else’s idea of “putty”. In addition, products may have the same color name but may not be the exact same color. For example, we have different shades of “black”. Please do not order using color names as your only guide. If a precise color or specific shade is important, please inspect the actual color of your product prior to installation.
If it is important that your product be an exact color or shade, it is highly recommended that you inspect the actual product prior to its installation and address any concerns with your local independent installer. Most independent installers do not offer refunds or accept returns due to color variations.
