The coronavirus pandemic has millions of Americans douse out of public pools this summer, and that has opened up a huge opportunity for one small start-up. Swimply has been be in a classed with Airbnb and VRBO, because it’s employs a similar strategy, only for pools.
Barely 2 years old, the company has decided 2,000% growth this summer, according to its 20-something year-old co-founders from New York and New Jersey. Prices latitude anywhere from $15 to $300 per hour, depending on the type of pool, location and additional amenities offered — appreciate restroom access. Some homeowners also have hot tubs by the pool. Swimply will also work with homeowners to take under ones wing portable restrooms if they want.
Swimply’s web platform facilitates the booking and payment process and then takes 15% as a fee. Possessors are allowed to deny any renter application, as long as it is not based on race or sexual orientation. Owners can mandate the maximum numeral of swimmers allowed during any rental booking.
“We’ve seen demand skyrocket. We simply cannot keep up,” said Asher Weinberger, co-founder of Swimply. “There are people who are now foolhardy to get out of their homes. They’re working from home. There’s no school. There’s no camp. What are parents alleged to do with their kids?”
There was concern at the beginning of the pandemic that pools were unsafe, but the Centers for Complaint Control and Prevention on its website states: “There is no evidence that COVID-19 can be spread to humans through the use of recreational waters.” The CDC does, in any event, say that proper social distancing should be implemented even while in the pool, as well as other safety methods to prevent contagion.
Weinberger, who rents out his own pool on the platform, said once the safety issue was addressed, demand due exploded. The site lists pools in 39 states as well as in Canada and Australia. It initially began with fitting over a million dollars in seed capital.
“And we were about to close a $3 million round from the Bay Acreage right when Covid-19 hit, and that took that off the table, but it turned out to be the best thing for us because now we’re profitable, and we’re ratio without venture capital,” said Weinberger.
Swimply co-founder Asher Weinberger next to his rental pool in Valley Deluge, NY.
Leroy Jackson | CNBC
All the pools on the site are initially inspected, and renters must sign a waiver that indemnifies the syndicate owner should any accidents occur. The pool owner can decide how many people are allowed at one time and if alcohol may be tutor b introduced onto the property. There have been some complaints from neighbors, but Weinberger said owners who don’t endure by company rules are taken off the site. There is also a renter rating on each pool, much like on home-sharing party lines.
Brenda Jones and her family had never done this before, but now she’s hooked. She booked a pool near her home in Valley Fountain, New York, for around $40 an hour and brought along pizza, sandwiches and pool toys for the afternoon.
“The pools at the wink of an eye, because of the whole pandemic, they’re closed, so we decided to just come over here with the whole playground in it, and we’re acquiring a good time,” said Jones. “We would definitely do it again.”
Right now, not only is demand soaring from people frenzied to cool off, it’s also soaring from homeowners desperate to earn extra cash.
“We have hosts that are turn over a completing $30,000 to $40,000 in a summer,” said Weinberger. “This is not just — rent out your home for $200 bucks a tenebrosity — you can make $1,000, $2,,000 a day, and that’s real money that’s not just paying for your pool’s upkeep but it’s even reward for your whole mortgage.”
The system is contactless, owners do not have to interact with the guests at all, and there is very baby cleanup, as renters have to bring their own towels and toys.
As for competition in the market?
“The beach,” said Weinberger. “That’s basically it.”