This essay is based on a conversation with Rick Neuhoff, 65, a homeowner in Portland, Oregon, who rents his indoor pool through Swimply. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
Before COVID got bad, I worked in marketing for law firms. COVID had pretty much shut down my business because lawyers didn’t want to expand their portfolio because the courts were closed.
So I was at home and stuck.
I drove for DoorDash for a while. In fact, one day my wife was with me while I was making a delivery and we saw on our doorbell video camera that something had been left at our door. We had assumed it was medication, but it was this bag from Swimply, an app that lets you rent out your private pool.
The reason we wanted a pool in our house was so my wife could exercise at home. She was recently diagnosed with diabetes and it was essential for her to exercise every day.
Neuhoff’s indoor swimming pool.
Courtesy of Rick Neuhoff
Apparently your public records are pretty public here in Portland, so Swimply knew we had this indoor pool and they left a welcome bag at our door with a beach ball and a bunch of information.
I convinced my wife to try it and we have never looked back.
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We charge $75 per hour to rent our indoor pool
I don’t think I had driven for more than a year before we tried Swimply. I earned more in two days than I did driving all week.
Within a few months we started functioning quite well. We started with a few hundred dollars a week, then we made over $1,000 a week and it just kept increasing.
We’ve been charging $75 an hour for about four years.
In my best months I grossed $12,000 to $15,000, but we also had slow weeks.
Neuhoff’s pool illuminated by lights.
Courtesy of Rick Neuhoff
On weekdays we are slowest in the mornings – and on weekdays we are slower than on weekends, so we get a discount of $60 per hour on weekdays. We usually get one booking, sometimes two, on weekdays, usually after school or after work.
I enjoy making other people’s events special
When we first started renting out our pool, we were a little worried that having people in our home would be uncomfortable.
We realized pretty quickly that we had to keep the door to the pool house locked because occasionally people would just open the door and go in looking for the bathroom or whatever.
Birthday decorations in the pool house.
Courtesy of Rick Neuhoff
But the fun and joy you hear through the walls is truly contagious makes you smile even when you have a hard day.
We hosted films Shoots, photo shoots, any type of Christmas party you can imagine and anniversaries.
We were approached by several swimming instructors who were looking for a home for their swimming school.
We briefly hosted a diving school. There was a problem with their tank so they were here for a few weeks while the problem was fixed. We’re nowhere near deep enough to dive, but I think it was better for her to continue the lesson rather than just pump the brakes.
During the warmer weather we had several large corporate events – there is a large lawn behind our house. We have a semi-private walled courtyard and then there is the pool house. In colder weather we can accommodate up to 60 people with limited seating and a DJ in the pool house.
The outside area of Neuhoff’s pool house.
Courtesy of Rick Neuhoff
When the outdoor pools close, our business increases. There are very few indoor pools in Portland and of the indoor pools in our market, we are the only ones that truly have room to party.
We still have a lot to do here, but we have really made significant improvements. Our pool house is still shabby chic at best, but the pool itself is incredible and the environment we created is as good as we could achieve on the budget.
Due to COVID, I was able to make money with Swimply while my business was closed. I have now changed my business and am more flexible after recognizing an opportunity.
I don’t make quite what I did while working with the law firms – close – but my stress is much lower, which is invaluable.
https://www.businessinsider.com/renting-out-pool-for-money-after-losing-business-2026-7
