'The Neighbors Are All Complaining': N.J. Town Cracks Down On People Renting Out Their Pools
TOMS RIVER, N.J. (CBSNewYork) - Renting out your room or your house is nothing new - but what about your backyard?
During these hot summer months, many are now renting their pools to complete strangers. Some homeowners charge by the hour.
"I think it's a cool idea to rent out your pool to make extra money. I would do it," one woman said.
Similar to Airbnb, phone apps like Swimply promote the concept. Thousands of private pools are listed for rent across the country, but in New Jersey, not everyone wants to dive into the idea.
"You don't know what they're doing in there, so yeah, I wouldn't do that," another woman said.
"I just find it very unsanitary. I prefer not to swim in a public pool, anyway, so it's like having a public pool in your backyard," Beachwood resident Tammy Helmsteter said.
Safety is the top priority for Jeannie Peters, a mother of two.
"It sounds nice, but I would be nervous in my home. I just don't think I would want people. It's like a liability," she said.
For Toms River, officials are worried about overcrowding and a lack of certified lifeguards. They have already received nearly a dozen complaints in a month.
"All of a sudden, neighbors are reporting that buses will pull up, kids will run out of buses and into the yard, and the homeowners are selling passes or membership for the day," Mayor Tom Kelaher said.
The Toms River mayor is now sending out a warning to the town that this is illegal. Last year, they banned the rental of amenities.
"The neighbors are all complaining. If you have a house in a residential neighborhood and all of a sudden, every day a different busload of people pull up and go running into the place, cheering, noise, happy and everything else, you're bound to be upset," Kelaher said.
If you're caught, you may find yourself in deeper trouble than the deep end of the pool. Fines can reach $2,000 or even 90 days in jail.
The mayor says if you rent out your house for the summer and there happens to be a pool in the backyard, that's OK, but daily pool rentals are a violation of local law.
