Private swimming pool rentals by the hour make a big splash in Spain

A typical town house with a steep set of stairs leading to a cheery terrace and a patio now all decked out for summer use. The icing on the cake? The swimming pool that looks so inviting. Next to it an area with deckchairs and sun loungers where time seems to have stood still. A sweet oasis in the middle of a very arid Madrid. A haven of peace in which Cécile Rabbat, her husband and their four children are having fun. At least they can enjoy it for a few hours, from three to six in the evening. Afterwards, others will get to enjoy it.

Still, for those three, sacred hours it is exclusively a summer refuge for the Rabbat family. They paid 75 euros for its use, that's 5 euros per hour per person. They rented it from Mercedes Rodríguez, the owner of the house to whom the pool belongs and her habitual residence complete with pool. It is a summer trend in Spain: to rent out your private swimming pool. In the Madrid region the trend has not stopped growing since the pandemic.

Rabbat, who is on holiday in the Spanish capital, has joined in on this experience. It's her little daughter's birthday. She and her husband thought it would be a good idea to enjoy an afternoon at the pool with the family. But they wanted peace and quiet. A public swimming pool was not an option. They did some research, following a friend's suggestions, and discovered Swimmy, the leading French-run private swimming pool rental platform. Here, owners offer their watery facilities and those wishing to bathe in them - subject to availability - rent them for a few hours - three in the Rabbat family's case.

Meanwhile, Rodríguez, who is at home during the rental period, potters around her house as usual, but without encroaching on the pool area. Her son Alberto stays in the dining-room teleworking. "The boom in the rental of private pools is in response to a growing demand for moments of closeness and tranquillity at affordable prices," says Swimmy.

The same booking platform assures this newspaper that the rental of private pools is on the rise: "Swimmers are looking for refreshing moments of relaxation without going broke. And owners, for their part, want to make their facilities profitable, often underused". As a result, between 2023 and 2024 the number of pools registered with Swimmy increased by 20 percent, from 5,000 to 6,000. In the same period the number of registered users increased from 270,000 to 370,000, an increase of 37%. For next season, "it is expected to reach more than 20,000 bookings, and to register at least 2,000 new pools".

Swimmy was founded in 2017 by Raphaëlle de Monteynard. The Frenchwoman came up with the idea when she was standing beside a swimming pool, enjoying her summer holidays in the south of France. "From her flat she could see the rest of the neighbourhood. She noticed that many swimming pools had not been used for a long time . She thought that perhaps these underused facilities could be put to good use and given a usefulness that would benefit both owners and bathers. A collaborative venture similar to the Airbnb model, only with swimming pools," explains Nicole Arévalo, head of communication for Swimmy's Spanish operations.

This business concept didn't arrive in Spain until 2019. Neither did it really become popular until the summer of 2020 thanks to the pandemic: "Covid had a positive impact on theplatform. At that time, families were reluctant to bathe in public swimming pools, as it was more difficult to maintain hygiene measures". With this in mind, Arévalo states that the main challenge of the online application was to gain the trust of both owners and pool-users. To do this, they implemented "security and verification measures".

In Spain the largest number of these facilities are located in the area around and within the city of Madrid, with around 140 registered pools. Spain as a whole has around 400 on Swimmy. They are mainly concentrated in areas such as Fuenlabrada, Mejorada del Campo, Villaviciosa de Odón and Las Rozas, as they tend to be towns with many villas. "It competes with Barcelona - with 130 - and with the south of Andalucía", says Arévalo. In addition, in the top three of the most-requested pools on Swimmy España, two of them are located in Madrid, one near Avenida de América, the other in Las Rozas.

Arévalo explains that the most popular are usually those that offer additional services, such as barbecues, shaded areas and good views. In terms of size, preferences vary, but generally "medium and large pools are the most popular, as they can accommodate family events and large groups of people".

Mercedes Rodríguez, for example, offers snacks, such as 'leche merengada' (a sweetened drink of milk and egg whites) or pancakes (four euros per person), clean towels (three euros per person), bags of ice (five euros per person) and use of her barbecue (15 euros). She also offers a catering service, with advance booking only. In addition, music is allowed by the pool at a moderate volume, as it "overlooks adjoining courtyards of the neighbours", and there is a smoking area.

It was precisely the shaded areas offered by Mercedes that attracted Céline Rabbat, who is renting a pool from a private individual for the first time. The house is located 15 minutes by car from where the French family is staying for a few days. When asked about how she is finding the experience, she says "phenomenal". "The garden is very cosy, comfortable and has good views. In addition, the chill-out areas are very nice". She says that the place has everything: sun loungers, hammocks, tables where you can have a snack, a shower and even wifi. "The pool is small, but the space is very nice," is her final comment.

As mentioned above, Rabbat spent three hours at the Rodríguez house for a total of 75 euros, of which more than 30 euros is retained by the French company. The application states that the average rental time is between four and five hours. "Recently we have seen an increase in longer rentals, especially for events, which can last more than seven hours". Also, in general, most bookings are for groups of between eight to twelve people.

The owner, who has been a Swimmy user since 2021, states in her profile "eight swimmers/three hours minimum". She reveals that this year, since the end of June, she has earned around 2,000 euros spread over between 30 and 35 bookings. In recent years she has typically earned around 1,000 euros, which is the average that owners can generate per season (end of June to beginning of September), according to Mercedes. However, other users have reached higher figures of up to 10,000 euros. "Some owners have even turned over 62,643 euros since their registration on the platform," says Swimmy. This represents "an extra source of income that also allows them to make their property profitable".

"Isn't it uncomfortable for you that the owner is present during the rental?" was our question to Céline. "It never felt like she was here with us, rather that she is getting on with her life in her home. In fact, we only saw her at the beginning, when we arrived". So we asked if they would repeat the experience: "Without a doubt," concluded the Frenchwoman.

The Rabbat family was clearly having an unbeatable afternoon. Rodríguez, however, says that she is finding it increasingly difficult to have strangers wandering around her home. "I'm not going to lie to you, I started renting my pool because of economic need," she says. But she is increasingly putting her peace of mind before money. "I think this is going to be the last time I rent it. And the last summer," she declares.

At times Mercedes' garden has hosted more than 12 people. Now the owner does not accept more than four guests. "In fact, I thought that today only two children were coming. If I had known that, I wouldn't have rented it out that afternoon".

As an anecdote, she says that the French family, "probably unconsciously and without bad intentions", used her personal towels. She laughs and expresses his astonishment. "I've got some new and clean towels up top!" But then the couple preferred to make use of some that, possibly, were already used. "Sometimes, on purpose, I put clothes on top so that they can see that that pile is private. But not even that works".

On the odd occasion she has hosted a stag or hen party: "I was once tricked by a group. They booked for four people and seven turned up. I couldn't say anything to them. Then they started singing karaoke into a microphone, and I had to tell them that was a no-no".

On another occasion Mercedes was "quite scared" when she saw so many young men aged 25 to 30 years withdrinks entering her house. She was alone in the house at the time. "They got drunk, undressed in the swimming pool, stole food from my fridge, left all their rubbish outside my door, then pissed in the street.... Then the neighbours talked about me, that I had brought the riff-raff from Madrid! I was very upset".

Recently, a group of 15 people contacted the pool owner to spend the day there and also hold a similar party there: " They offered me 1,000 euros. I turned them down". She recalls how sometimes bathers show up an hour later than they booked, "and ask to stay longer afterwards"... But I have my life, my plans... sometimes I'm fed up with people. I don't want anyone else around. It's all so overwhelming".