BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Pool owners may have a way to make ends meet at their homes this summer. Swimply is an app that allows you to rent out your backyard pool to swimmers.
Sadie Bynum and Scott Bogucki have been using the app for the past nine or so months. They bought a home in Eden that had a large indoor pool, and sometimes their neighbor would come over to swim. She was the one who suggested they use it to make some extra cash.
"She was like hey you should rent this!" laughed Sadie. "And I'm like do you think people are going to come out to Eden to do this? And she's like yes!"
So after some renovations and making a number of improvements, they listed the pool on the Swimply app. These days, they say they're booking up sometimes months in advance.
"We've seen people come and rent limos, huge stretch limos because they're celebrating - we've had moms nights where people come, spend the night," said Sadie.
"We had people wanting to come in on Christmas Day, New Year's Eve. New Year's Day," echoed Scott. "There's a couple that comes from Ohio to the Bills game and they'll stop by because they have two hours to kill. So they stop by, take a swim, use the shower and get dressed for the game."
Right now there are about 10 pools in the Buffalo area that are listed on the app. Some are basic backyard pools. Others, like Sadie and Scott's, have a number of amenities. The COO of Swimply says 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.
"At one end of the spectrum I've got hosts that are like - I'd just like to cover my pool maintenance," explained Swimply COO Derek Callow. "The other end of the spectrum - I spoke to a host here in LA - and he and his wife cover their mortgage by renting their pool out."
If you are thinking about renting out your pool there are a couple of things to keep in mind.
First - check with your local town or municipality to make sure it's ok where you are.
"It's really important to engage the town you live in and talk to them about what you want to do - and see if there's anything special you need to do," said Sadie.
We reached out to an Erie County representative to get an idea of what a potential host would need to know. The Health Department wrote:
NYS Sanitary Code has specific construction standards & treatment requirements for safety and to prevent disease transmission. In NYS renting “backyard pools” is illegal. Individuals who rent their private swimming pool – regardless of how they advertise – on an app, on a poster, word of mouth, on a social media platform – are violating state sanitary code and putting themselves at risk of penalties. NYS allows penalties of up to $2,000 per violation. New York State sanitary code subpart 6-1 requires a rigorous engineering review and permit for public swimming pools, along with periodic inspections that are done by the local health department. Public swimming pool operators are also required to comply with certain maintenance, hygiene and lifeguarding standards. Generally, a backyard swimming pool or indoor pool on at a private residence would not qualify as a public swimming pool. Property owners are opening themselves up to liability concerns and penalties from a local health department or their local code enforcement office if they rent their pool to the public without a permit. Complaints about swimming pools operating without a permit can be sent to the Erie County Department of Health Division of Environmental Health at (716) 961-6800. When it’s hot out, inviting friends and family over to cool off in your pool is absolutely fine. Renting it out to the public for profit is not. Safety reminder: make sure that there’s always at least 1 designated adult watching swimmers, especially children, at all times. More children under 4 die from drowning each year in the US than any other cause.
Swimply also provided the following statement to 7 News:
"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. Many regulations and laws regarding commercial activities in private residences were written prior to the existence of sharing economy platforms like ours. It is our goal to work directly with communities and lawmakers to ensure that the laws are updated."
Second, you need insurance. Callow says Swimply offers a host guarantee of a million dollars, but homeowners can add their own as well.
Lastly, do what works for you.
Sadie and Scott say you have to be comfortable with people coming into your yard and that there will be work involved to prep the pool and clean up after. They say they're really enjoying the experience, and say they're even considering opening their space to even bigger events in the future.
Sadie says she recommends pool owners check the app out and see if it's the right way for them to make some extra money.
"I think it's going to be a great experience for people and I think they will definitely enjoy having that extra cash on-hand," she said.
