Couple earns $ 111,000 in less than a year by renting their pool with Swimply

A Portland, Oregon-area couple made $ 111,000 in less than a year after welcoming some 2,700 guests who booked stays with them through a site known as “Airbnb for Kids.” backyard pools’.

Jim and Lisa Battan from West Linn, Oregon have successfully generated a six-figure income using the online platform Swimply, which offers homeowners the option of renting their pools at an hourly rate.

The Battans are offering their 15,000 gallon pool for rent at a price of $ 75 an hour for a minimum of five people. They also charge an additional $ 10 per hour for each guest over five.

The pool allows a maximum of 23 people.

The Battans swimming pool measures 26 by 18 feet. Its shallower end is 3.5 feet deep while the deepest part of the pool is 6 feet.

“If there’s a particular day you’re looking for and we look like it’s booked, contact us and we’ll see if we can get creative,” writes Jim Battan in his list on Swimply.

“We designed our pool and had it custom built in the backyard of our two acre property, surrounded by trees, overlooking the barn.

“No worries in cold weather: we keep the pool at 90 degrees; you can set the spa up to 104. ‘

Jim writes that his property has “a lot of amenities” including a heated pool house and a walk-in closet with toilet and sink.

There is also a separate changing tent. According to Battan, the inground pool has enough room for 16 people while the pool, which seats eight, measures 7 feet by 9 feet.

You will also enjoy the spa jets and bubblers which can be activated by a 10 button controller.

Battan writes that he uses ultraviolet light to sanitize the space while the water is purified using automated liquid chlorine dispensers and IntelliChem tablets.

Cleanliness has become even more of a priority during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has benefited Swimply users like the Battans as public swimming pools have been forced to close.

This summer has also been scorching in Portland and the rest of the Pacific Northwest, where a ‘heat dome’ has pushed record triple-digit temperatures – a rare occurrence in an area accustomed to year-round mild weather. .

Jim told the Wall Street Journal that the pool, which cost $ 110,000 to build, had not been used for the past two years since his youngest daughter moved out.

Last September, he learned of the existence of Swimply. He then decided to rent out his swimming pool on the platform.

In the first two hours, he had three reservations.

The platform currently has around 13,000 pool owners in 125 cities across the country.

Since the start of 2020, Swimply has registered around 122,000 reservations.

Bunim Laskin, co-founder and CEO of the company, said the ability to use a swimming pool during the pandemic was therapeutic for people wanting to get out of the house.

“We saw a lot of families [and friends] rekindle with Swimply, ”said Laskin.

Asher Weinberger, the chief operating officer who co-founded Swimply with Laskin, said hosts earn on average between $ 5,000 and $ 10,000.

The Battans Pool is a bit more expensive than most of the listings on the site, as most owners charge between $ 35 and $ 50 per hour.

For each booking, Swimply takes a 15% discount on hosts and another 10% discount on guests.

The additional revenue helps pool owners cover the costs of maintaining their pools, which only increased during the pandemic due to disruptions in the chlorine supply chain.

Jim Battan says it might sound easy, but renting the pool out to guests is hard work.

He told the Journal that he woke up at 5 a.m. most of the time to remove the leaves from the water.

His wife, Lisa, cleans the pool house bathroom and arranges rows of pool toys before each guest arrives.

One of Swimply’s main competitors is Peerspace, an online marketplace that offers rooms for rent for those looking for places to film a movie or take photos.

Peerspace also offers pitches with swimming pools to its customers.

Swimply hosts, however, must also manage the risk alongside the reward.

Guests could drown or cause property damage, which could eventually lead to legal action.

Loud alcohol-fueled parties could cause guests to vomit in the pool and property while causing noise complaints from neighbors.

Weinberger said hosts mitigate risk by staying home while guests use their pool.

Swimply also offers its guests liability insurance that covers up to $ 1 million. The service also offers a property damage protection policy.

“There is too much risk with unattended guests,” Jim Battan told The Journal.

He said that’s why he prefers to stay home while he rents his pool.