Pool owners are making as much as $5000 a summer by renting out their backyard swimming pools by the hour.
According to PerthNow, owners can use the Swimply app to advertise their backyard pools in the same way people rent out their homes on platforms like Airbnb.
Typical prices start from an affordable $20 an hour, but can reach up to $2000 an hour on the East Coast, in high-end suburbs like Mosman in NSW.
West Australian, Tamara Ward has rent out her pool, affectionately known as ‘Shady Oasis’, in Mount Lawley for $45 an hour over the past two years.
“It’s a great way to put to use something that is not used all the time,” Ms Ward told PerthNow.
“I don’t find going to a public pool very relaxing, especially having to supervise children in such a big pool amongst so many other people.
“So, it’s nice to be able to offer a peaceful backyard pool experience to others.”
Ms Ward said her pool was rented, on average, four times a week in the peak of summer.
“It’s often early evenings and weekends and often last minute when those 40-degree days hit,” she said.
She said some of the income from renting the pool helped to subsidise the ongoing and increasing costs of owning a pool.
“It works well for me as I work from home, so I am always around to greet them (visitors),” she said.
“We have also recently added a backyard bathroom, so they no longer need to come into our house.”
Ms Ward said renting her pool also comes with some “pretty simple and common sense pool rules”.
“No glass in the pool area, adult supervision in the pool area if children are swimming, no diving or backflips and leave the area as you found it,” she said.
Overall it’s been a great venture so far she said.
“Everyone has always been so friendly, appreciative of the experience and respectful of our home,” she said.
Swimply Australia Director Sam McDonagh said the app had increased in popularity in WA since its Australian launch in 2019.
“We’ve seen bookings grow by 318 per cent year-on-year in Perth so it’s certainly proving popular with the locals,” he told PerthNow.
“We tend to see more bookings on weekends and in school holidays when people have spare time to relax and have fun. However, there is also a market for midweek bookings too — particularly for things like children’s swimming lessons.”
