Uber connects riders to drivers, and Airbnb lets people rent their homes. Now there’s a sharing-economy service for residential pools.
Pool for U, a Lakewood, N.J.-based online marketplace, allows homeowners to rent their pools. It went live July 4th.
The website currently features approximately 40 pools from homeowners in New York, New Jersey and Michigan. Similar to Airbnb, owners can list their pools with photos, amenities and a rental rate. Customers can also write reviews about their experiences. But unlike Airbnb, Pool for U lists hourly rates rather than daily, so one pool could see multiple renters within 24 hours.
This marketplace was created by its founders to help pool owners cover maintenance expenses and potentially make a profit from opening their pool to others, according to Bunim Laskin, CEO of Pool for U.
But an increased bather load means more service visits could be needed to maintain proper water chemistry.
“People tend to abuse [a pool] more when it’s not their pool,” said Steve Homer, president of United Pool Association. He stressed that pool owners participating in Pool for U should alert their service technicians when more people than usual will be swimming.
Pool For U sees the marketplace as being beneficial for service technicians as well as homeowners. Laskin said the company would like to work with local techs and is open to discussing partnerships.
“We see them as a big opportunity to help us target pool owners,” he said.
In fact, Laskin believes service techs have the most to gain from his company's service because the money homeowners make from renting their pools will go back into maintaining them.
Currently, Pool for U does not impose or enforce standards for safety or cleanliness. The review system is intended to warn users of potential issues, Laskin said. “It’s a marketplace, so Pool for U doesn’t take any responsibility for liabilities,” he said. However, he said pools that generate negative reviews because of cleanliness issues will be removed from the site.
Pool for U has plans to expand West, Laskin said. As it grows, it expects to develop pool insurance policies to address liability.
