Americans Dip Their Toes Into New Pool Rental Service

The pandemic still has many kids home from school, and that has many parents dipping their toes into a new pool rental service called Swimply.

There’s a backyard pool in Queens, New York, that looks like something you might find at a resort, complete with a waterfall, hot tub, and lounge area. The owner, Brian Chavarro, says it was built for the family to enjoy, but the coronavirus pandemic changed that.

"There was definitely some hardships going on in March, I was laid off, my mom had to close her business, and we had to find a new method of income,” he said.

So, he turned to Swimply. It works similar to Airbnb and allows homeowners to rent out their pool.

Since starting last year, the app has grown to include about 6,000 pools in about 30 states. Business exploded during the pandemic with parents looking for a way to entertain the kids.

"The brilliance seemed to be in the simplicity, I was kind of like, why didn't I ever think of that idea?" said father and blogger Dave Cutler.

He was able to find a pool at a local home near him around Boston.

"It was appealing to potentially have a pool to ourselves without the concern of being around other people," he said.

Cutler paid $45 an hour, but hourly prices can run anywhere from $15 to $100.

"Ninety percent of our reservations are families,” said Swimply founder and CEO Bunim Laskin.

He said homeowners are told to follow CDC COVID-19 guidelines.

"We implemented a mandatory hour between reservations so new guests and old guests wouldn't bump into each other on the way out. We implemented a maximum amount of guests that hosts are allowed to have in situations to make sure that there were no events or parties,” Laskin said.

The app has grown so quickly local governments are just starting to take notice and some are questioning if regulations are needed.

Laskin said he's open to having that conversation, but right now, nothing is stopping homeowners and people in search of a pool from jumping in to use the service.