After Another Scorching Summer, Cities Should Consider Pool Sharing
Local regulators shouldn’t stand in the way of new rental services that expand access to swimming pools and green space.
The numbers are in, and 2022 was North America’s second-hottest summer on record. For many, that meant relentless heat waves, stifling classrooms, and stressed electrical grids as families everywhere looked for ways to stay cool. As local and national policymakers work to adapt our infrastructure for a changing climate, it’s clear we still have a ways to go.
That’s why new sharing services that let homeowners rent out their backyard pools should be welcome news for city officials. Preparing a city for climate change is hard, but giving people better access to local pools is a zero-cost way for cities to expand services during increasingly hot summers.
Compounding this summer’s sweltering weather was a dire shortage of lifeguards across the country, leaving as many as one third of public pools closed for the summer — and leaving kids without life-saving swim lessons. Many cities are reporting that they’ve received less than half their usual number of lifeguard applicants, and have been forced to reduce pool capacity and scale back programs like swimming and fitness classes.
Limited access to pools can have lasting effects, particularly for communities of color who are more likely to face higher risks of drowning than their white peers. With 96% of Americans already lacking access to a pool, we need creative solutions.
That’s where new apps come in. Services like Swimply allow homeowners to rent their pools to others in their community, generating revenue for homeowners in high-tax, low-affordability areas; increasing access to swimming for community members; and providing COVID-safe recreation for families.
Unfortunately, innovations like these are often met with NIMBY resistance. While neighborly concerns over noise and other nuisances are understandable, most cities have existing noise and nuisance rules on the book that all properties — including both owners and guests — must follow.
And fortunately, there’s already a smart regulatory playbook to preserve the benefits of sharing services while mitigating the risk of nuisances in neighborhoods. Short-term home sharing services have found ways to constructively work with state and local governments to help people earn extra income through their services without being disruptive to other local residents.
Local policymakers should follow the regulatory playbook for short-term rentals, passed in response to the popularity of platforms like Airbnb and VRBO. These sorts of regulations typically allow for rentals while often setting common-sense ground rules, like party regulations; limits on the number of rental hours or days permitted; and taxation. And these rules balance the property rights of homeowners to rent with the right for communities to enjoy safe and peaceful neighborhoods.
Preserving the ability of homeowners to rent their amenities is important in our current economy. Owners renting on pool sharing platforms aren’t property investors or conglomerates — they are primary residence property owners looking for an additional source of income.
Considering inflation recently hit a 40-year high in the US, supplemental income from amenity rentals can go a long way for homeowners in increasingly expensive, high tax areas across the country.
And we’ve seen this playbook work. In cities like Atlanta, regulations requiring owners to register their amenities before renting are proving effective at keeping neighbors happy while expanding community access to pools and more. In California, state legislators are already considering regulations that protect communities’ freedom to impose taxes, set usage limitations, and enforce noise ordinances for amenity rentals without outright banning the services.
State and local officials can strike a happy medium, ensuring homeowners have access to a new source of income while bolstering community access to safe summer fun for everyone — helping families stay cool and neighbors keep their cool as we prepare for next summer.
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