Pool Renting – Would You Ever Consider Renting Your Pool?

The Covid-19 global pandemic led to an increased demand for swimming pool construction services. A good percentage of homeowners were looking for ideal escapades amid the Covid-19 travel restrictions. Thus, most homeowners had to upgrade their outdoor living spaces and consider pool renting services. Consequently, pool contractors tried to deal with the surge in demand for their services.

Nevertheless, swimming pools incorporate high initial and lifetime costs. Thus, some homeowners were not able to transform their outdoor spaces by installing swimming pools. From this, Ned Gilardino came up with an idea. Gilardino has a swimming pool on his property. However, he and his three older children barely use the pool. So, he put up the swimming pool on Swimply. Doing this gave him the unique opportunity to rent out his swimming pool for several hours. This meant that he had to give up his property to anyone interested in using the pool for a few hours. With pool renting, it meant that he could obtain revenues and profits from the pool.

Pool renting and the covid-19 pandemic

At first, everything was smooth. However, when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out last year, that’s when things started changing. He says, “After the coronavirus crisis, more individuals became interested in his backyard pool. In fact, by the time June was approaching, the pool was fully booked. The demand was overwhelming.” More people were looking for Covid-19 friendly activities to keep their children occupied. And this explained the sudden increase in demand for pool renting services.

Fun and clean pool

Gilardino had to step up his game. He had to be present to welcome guests and ensure the pool is clean and safe for human use. Also, Gilardino set aside the lower section of his house for bathroom and changing purposes. This way, guests could comfortably change and shower without getting to the main section of his house. Moreover, he made the poolside area more appealing by adding games and fire features. Gilardino gained approximately $50,000 by the end of the swimming pool season last year.

Increased demand in pool renting

Asher Weinberger, co-founder and chief operating officer of Swimply, says. “The global pandemic led to an increased demand for our services. As a result, our company grew tremendously in 2020.” Swimply has a listing of over 3000 pools and is functional in all states. The pool renting costs of each pool vary based on different factors. But most pools cost $100 or less per hour. For instance, Gilardino’s pool costs $60 per hour during weekends, which caters to a maximum of five people. During weekdays, Gilardino charges $45 per hour.

Usually, Swimply is responsible for collecting payments and facilitating the booking process. And this makes it easy for pool owners. However, the pool owners renting out their pool also have to pay something small to Swimply.

Nevertheless, insurance is a problem for renters. This is because insurance companies don’t accept to offer compensation if any accidents occur when other people are using the pool. Therefore, all pool renters need to reevaluate all the terms and conditions of their insurance cover. It would be best to sign up for a plan that offers compensation in case of damages. Also, you have to make sure that medical bills are part of the insurance plan. This will cover for anyone who’ll get injured in the pool.

Importance of a good insurance plan for pool renting

Partner at Backes and Backes, Pierson Backes, says, “We cannot deny the fact that a lot of accidents and losses are more likely to happen around pools.” Therefore, as a pool renter, ensure you sign up for the right insurance plan. Remember, pool areas pose a hazard to human safety. He proceeds to say, “Also, keep in mind that you can still have a valid insurance cover and still get sued. Ultimately, if you ask me, having a pool is scary, especially when you look at it from a legal point of view.”

It is clear to see that pool renting is becoming more popular in this day and age. Therefore, it would be best for the state to accept this and formula new guidelines on such situations. So, there should be new rescue equipment on board, new insurance terms and conditions, and signage based on this matter. And of course, we should not forget to observe all Covid-19 restrictions even in these semi-public pools.

Pool renting restrictions

Additionally, the state should also formulate restrictions on renting out semi-public pools and properties. This is because some properties don’t qualify as rentals. For example, if your property is not considered safe, it is not advisable to do pool renting.

Backes finally says, “Pool renting is not such a bad idea. In fact, it would be best if we have more public resources as a nation. Even so, it might be challenging to handle these resources from a legal point of view. So, all in all, pool renting is worth it.”