Houston homeowners take advantage of swimming pools

Last summer, more owners signed up. Priyam Joshi, Marketing Director of Swimply, expects 2022 to be her breakthrough year. In total, approximately 1 million people have used Simply rentals in 200,000 hours of reservations.

Joshi said company founder Bunim Laskin came up with the idea years ago when he and his 11 younger siblings wanted a swimming pool. He offered the neighbors money if they let them swim in their pool. The business started as one business he coordinated over the phone to one he operated online, Airbnb-style, with individual owners posting opportunities, setting their own fees, posting photos, and waiting for swimmers contact them.

Currently, approximately 10,000 backyard pools are listed, including 2,450 in Texas. Houston has approximately 230 registered pools. Now hosts in Texas earn an average of $5,000 per month; Houston hosts an average of $3,000 per month.

Two hosts from Houston are Michael Kukukwho lives in Eastwood and lists his pool as “Blue sky“, and Aryeh and Zehava Wolbe, who live in the Meyerland area and list their pool as”Legend 34.”

The Wolbes pool will catch your eye on Swimply.com for the number 34 and the silhouette of a rose set in the tiled bottom of the pool. Aryeh Wolbe said Oilers great Earl Campbell – whose jersey number was 34 and whose nickname was “The Tyler Rose” – built the house and pool and lived there years ago.

It’s a simple backyard with a concrete patio and a row of young trees along a back wall. There is a diving board and an outdoor shower but no access to the toilets.

Kukuk’s pool is more like a tropical paradise hidden behind a large privacy fence, with lots of plants and trees, patio seating, and a bubble fountain. Although the winter freeze of 2021 ruined its landscaping, the oil and gas manager replaced everything, added furniture and patios, and created a small Zen garden perfect for those looking for Instagram-worthy settings.

A two-story building in the courtyard is now Kukuk’s “club house”, which he uses as his home office and gym. Guests are free to use its full bathroom as well as a fridge for any drinks or snacks they bring.

The two said they signed up to rent their pools to earn extra money, and rates vary by host and season and whether renters come on weekdays or weekends.

The Wolbes now charge $35 an hour, but that will increase to $60 an hour after Memorial Day. Kukuk charges $60 per hour on weekdays and $67 per hour on weekends, plus an additional $50 for pool heating. Some hosts charge based on party size, with a maximum limit and additional charges for anyone over their limit.

He said his first rental was a bit strange, welcoming strangers into his garden and then leaving them alone. By the third booking, however, he had gotten over it and realized that the income would more than pay for the pool’s water and electricity bill, as well as its weekly cleaning and maintenance.

“I can’t tell you the last time I used the pool, personally, and right now it’s booked until June,” Kukuk said. “I’ve had birthday parties for little kids and parties for adults. It’s funny, I had a bachelorette party one night and the next morning a ladies’ retreat at the church. Last week it was used by a woman who does underwater photography.

There have also been influencers who rent pool time for photo shoots and don’t even necessarily get wet, Kukuk said.

So far, Wolbes tenants have been mostly young families.

“Most of our tenants are young families – parents who want to take their kids for a while, play pool games and play with floats. We want to give people the opportunity to do that,” said Wolbe, a rabbi who moved to Houston to work at TORCH, a Jewish outreach and education center, of which he is the executive director.

“Before moving to this house, we didn’t have a pool and we always appreciated the opportunity to go with our kids to a pool, especially one that’s private, where neighbors can’t see,” said said Wolbe, who with his wife is seven. children from 4 to 20 years old.

When the tenants arrive, the Wolbes pull down the blinds on the windows that face the backyard and tell their children to leave them alone. Their tenants so far have all been pleasant and the experiences hassle-free.

For families who rented pool time through Swimply.com last year, it was a way to replace travel during the coronavirus pandemic.

Karla Sainz, a 36-year-old project manager who lives in Bellaire, said she and her husband, their two children and her mother-in-law used Swimply rentals to get a chance to get out of the house.

“In COVID it was a lifesaver – an opportunity to try different pools and do something different. My mother-in-law is older so it was great to find that. We weren’t going to our community pool, which we used to go to all the time. It was great fun for the kids. When it’s time to go, they don’t want to leave.

This year, his kids are playing Little League again, but they’re sticking to outdoor activities.

Kim and Steven Wakefield, who recently moved from Houston to New Jersey, have used Swimply once or twice a month for the past year or so while living here.

“We are all aquatic babies and love to swim. If we weren’t going to Galveston, we would try to rent local pools,” Kim said. “I felt like I was leaving Houston for a while. We looked for ones with gardens and lots of tropical decor. We felt transported while swimming.

With Swimply rentals serving as a mini-vacation, the Wakefields viewed each as an important family time.

“It was time to disconnect and put our phones away and play some games in the pool. It’s been a very enjoyable, low-stress time. It’s the memories we made during our stay that keep us going. book,” Kim said.

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