BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Erie County officials held a press conference Monday to address concerns surrounding private pool rental apps.
In June, 7 News brought you the story of an Eden couple who was using the "Swimply" app to rent their pool to make some extra cash. The couple said they were sometimes booking months in advance. The COO of Swimply said what hosts offer, what they charge, and how often they rent out their space is up to them. Swimply takes a commission from each booking.
Erie County officials said apps like Swimply have raised concerns among county health officials and referenced the standards public swimming pool operators are required to comply with. The county said ECDOH public health sanitarians conduct reviews of the pools, issue permits when appropriate and periodically inspect the facilities.
“Property owners who rent their pools to the public are putting those swimmers at risk. And residents who choose to rent these private pools are putting themselves and their guests at risk, too. The last thing we want to see is a catastrophic injury or drowning related to one of these unregulated, potentially unsafe swimming pools.”
“Staying cool and staying safe should go hand-in-hand in the summer. If you are considering offering your pool for rent, or renting an uninspected pool, we urge you to reconsider. The safety and liability risks are not worth the benefits. There are safe public pool options, spray parks, beaches and other places to swim and enjoy the cool water.”
County officials said those who rent their private swimming pool to the public without a permit are violating state sanitary code and putting themselves at risk of penalties/fines of up to $2,000 per violation.
Swimply issued the following statement to 7 News in response to the county:
“Swimply homeowners open their spaces to users as private guests and have full say as to who can use their pool and how – pools listed on Swimply aren’t public pools therefore we believe Swimply is in current legal standing in the Buffalo community and listings should not be prohibited in the area. We operate in much a similar fashion to other experiential sharing services like Airbnb which are residential in nature, as are other home amenity rentals.”
If you'd like more information on how to pursue a public swimming pool permit or file a complaint about a swimming pool operating without a permit you can call the Erie County Department of Health Division of Environmental Health at (716) 961-6800.
