Swimply Review: Rent Your Pool

COVID-19 has taken away many of the outdoor activities that we are used to. This includes public pools. However, not all is lost if you're looking for a private place to swim.

Swimply allows you to search for nearby private pools that you can rent by the hour. If you have a pool and want to rent it out, Swimply could provide some nice side gig income. Let's see how this take on Airbnb works.

Who Is Swimply?

Swimply calls itself the "Airbnb for swimming pools.” It was founded in July 2018 and is based in Cedarhurst, New York. Bunim Laskin is the founder and CEO. The co-founder and CMO is Asher Weinberger. The company has raised $1 million in a seed round.

Swimply appeared in Season 11 (2019) of Shark Tank. Their idea was pitched to Sharks but, unfortunately, no one bit. The pitch was 5% for $300,000. That pitch valued the company at $6 million.

“We’ve seen demand skyrocket. We simply cannot keep up,” said Weinberger to CNBC. “There are people who are now desperate to get out of their homes. They’re working from home. There’s no school. There’s no camp. What are parents supposed to do with their kids?”

What Do They Offer?

Swimply is a marketplace for swimming pools. People list their pools on Swimply’s website and earn money at the listed rate. Swimply takes a 15% cut from all pool rentals and hosts keep the other 85%.

Swimply is also working on another service called JoySpace. It is similar to the pool rental concept, except that it is for spaces. These include tennis and basketball courts, home gyms, and decks. The new service currently has a waitlist.

The Swimply model divides customers into hosts (who rent out their pools) and guests (who rent pools). Rentals are by the hour. The two sections below describe the Swimply experience.

Related: Airbnb vs Booking.com: Where Should You List Your House?

Hosts

To rent a pool on Swimply, you first create an account and then list your pool. Before any pool can be used, it must be inspected. Swimply works with local contractors to inspect each pool. When creating a listing for a pool, all of the following can be listed:

• Photos of pool area
• Pool dimensions
• Depth of pool
• Amenities (such as a BBQ pit or water toys)
• Use of chlorine in pool
• Use of restroom
• Maximum number of guests
• Fee for each additional guest over the limit
• Restrictions on children and/or pets
• Sounds restrictions
• Availability of Wi-Fi
• Any rules such as no glass
• Level of privacy

There’s a lot that can be listed. And the more you provide, the more likely you are to land renters. Guests can also leave a review for your pool.

Swimply will take 15% of the total fee for each rental. If your hourly rate is $50 and is rented for two hours, the total will be $100. After the Swimply fee of $15, your net earnings will be $85.

The big question you’re probably wondering about is — how does Swimply handle insurance? After all, allowing strangers in your pool presents potential liability issues. All guests sign a waiver that indemnifies the pool owner of any accidents and hosts are protected by a $1 million insurance policy that's provided Evanston Insurance Company, an A-rated insurance provider.

Guests

One of the biggest issues guests may run into is availability. Depending on where you live, there may not be many pools to choose from. If you live in a large city, such as Los Angeles, your odds of finding a pool will be much better.

Currently, Swimply is available in the United States, Canada, and Australia. If you're able to find a nearby pool, be sure to check past guest reviews before booking. Rates typically range from $15 to $300 per hour.

Related: Neighbor App Review: The Airbnb For Storage

Are There Any Fees?

For hosts, Swimply keeps 15% of the rate.

For guests, you'll pay a 10% to 15% service fee in addition to the per-hour cost of the pool. This 10% fee will apply if your group size is 14 people or fewer and you'll pay the 15% fee if your group includes 15 or more people.

How Do I Open An Account?

You can visit the Swimply website to open an account as a guest or host. You only need to provide an email address and password to get started. Or you can log in with your Facebook or Apple credentials.

How Does Swimply Compare?

As of writing, Swimply doesn't really have any direct competitors that will allow you to book a private homeowner's pool by the hour. However, there may be pool clubs in your local area that offer access to public pools by the hour or day, or for even more extended periods of time with a membership.

Is My Money Safe?

Yes, no money is on deposit with Swimply, and its website uses encryption. Guest pay by credit card. Hosts are paid through Stripe, which is a popular payment processing platform.

How Do I Contact Swimply?

For guests, Swimply doesn't publish a customer service phone number. If you need assistance, you'll need to send their team a message through their contact form or email them at info@swimply.com. Hosts, however, can call 844-970-4050 to have a one-on-one discussion with a Host Representative.

Is It Worth It?

As a host, yes, Swimply can be worth it. Swimply makes guests sign a waiver and provides up to $1 million of general liability insurance. Plus, it's nice that you can earn money on Swimply without having to have any guests intrude on the inside of your home.

If you like the idea of renting out your pool to strangers, the service could provide some nice side hustle income.  And if you're a guest with Swimply rentals nearby, it could help you find a place to swim during a time when many public pools are still unavailable.

Swimply FAQs

Here are a few of the most common questions that guests and hosts ask about Swimply:

Can guests check their pool before their reservation day?

Possibly. Guests can check with their host to see if they allow pre-reservation walk-throughs.

Can hosts charge cleaning fees?

There's no way to automatically add a cleaning fee to a listing. However, hosts can make this fee an available amenity and make it clear in the listing that it's a required add-on for bookings that are over a certain number of guests.

Can guests book multiple dates at once?

Yes, Swimply's "Multi-dip" feature allows guest to book two or more dates at the same time and some hosts even offer Multi-dip discounts.

Has Swimply changed any of its policies due to COVID-19?

Yes, it now automatically mandates an hour in-between all bookings so that hosts have time to clean and sanitize pool areas before the next group arrives.

Swimply Features