Tim Snyder had a problem shared by many homeowners across the country: An expensive swimming pool that goes unused most of the time.
Snyder signed up for Swimply, an app that matches people who own pools with people who want to swim in them.
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“Within two days we were up and running and collecting pool fees,” he says.
Asher Weinberger and Bunim Laskin created Swimply a couple years ago.
They now claim 200,000 members.
“We went into Google Earth we looked for the big blue splotches from the sky, we knocked on 80 doors and got kicked out of 76 of them,” he says. “Before long we had thousands of strangers swimming in strangers' pools.”
Greg Teegarden listed his pool on Swimply just a few weeks ago.
“At first I thought it would be like grocery money - but it’s been that and more,” he says.
Swimmers seem happy, too.
“What this provides is a beautiful atmosphere and a mini getaway,” says Julie McKinney.
Swimply makes renters sign a liability waiver to prevent users from suing pool owners if there’s an accident, but legal experts say you should check with your insurance company and possibly a lawyer to understand your risk if you choose to let strangers rent your pool. You should also check with your town. Some have made it illegal to rent out your pool or require a permit.