What’s worse than the sound of other people having fun? An app that facilitates it! Swimply is coming to Australia just at the right time. But is it the great equaliser, or the great destroyer of neighbourhood serenity?
An app called Swimply – basically Airbnb for pools – is coming to Australia. This means Australians will soon be able to hire their neighbour’s pool, rather than sneakily use it without asking while they are on holiday.
According to 6pr, it will cost about $25-$40 an hour to rent out a local pool. This will presumably depend on how good (and in demand) the pool is.
Swimply Australia managing director Sam McDonagh told radio host Simon Beaumont he expects the app to prove popular in Western Australia, saying: “We’re excited about the opportunity we’ve got ahead of us.”
McDonagh has also said (per Techguide): “Swimming is the number one rated activity for families, yet 87 per cent of Australians don’t have access to a pool. We want to change that.”
“Our goal is for every Australian to have access to a private pool and for every homeowner to be able to share spaces they are passionate about and make money.”
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“With cost-of-living pressures starting to impact every aspect of our lives, Swimply provides an opportunity for Australians to afford little moments of luxury, whether it be a family fun day by the pool, friends enjoying a splash on a warm day, or some well-deserved R&R.”
There are currently more than 25,000 pools on Swimply in Los Angeles. The app will be hoping to replicate that success in Australia.
Not everyone is stoked on the idea, however, with one social media user writing: “So your [sic] swimming in some random persons backyard while they could be watching you from their house ? Super appealing.”
Another said: “I just don’t see it.”
On a Los Angeles, California post on the Swimply’s Instagram page, one critic wrote: “They allow 50 kids to show up, smoke weed, drink and fight in the neighbors lawn. I’m sure swimming naked doesn’t concern them.”
Given the strict clampdowns Airbnb has had on partying in recent years, however, we’d imagine Swimply has a way to deal with and prevent that.
So, will Swimply succeed in Australia? Only time (and Grinchiness per capita) will tell.
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