If you’re renting a house with a pool, you need to consider how pool safety factors into your property improvements, costs, and tenant communications. A pool can be an attractive amenity for tenants, and swimming pools definitely add value to your property. You need to make sure, however, that your investment and your tenants are protected. With the right planning and preparation, you can offer tenants a fun, safer pool area.
The Pool Safety Commitment
Safety is an important consideration for all pool owners, but when you’re renting a house with a pool, preparing a safe pool area is even more so. When you’re dealing with tenants and swimming pools, you won’t always have regular access to monitor the pool’s health and condition. Beyond protecting the monetary value of your property, a focus on safety also keeps your tenants safer, so your property doesn’t become part of the troubling drowning statistics that see us robbed of an average of ten lives per day. If your property has a pool, make a commitment to yourself and your tenants to do everything you can to ensure its pool is protected.
Important Pool Considerations For Rental Property
Because pools can be dangerous when not respected, renting a property with one comes with increased liability considerations. Fulfilling your responsibilities as a landlord involves taking the steps necessary to mitigate this risk to your tenants, property, and profits.
- Familiarize Yourself With Pool Fence Laws – While all properties with a pool must comply with the law when you’re renting a house with a pool, it’s important to make sure all your i’s are dotted and your t’s are crossed. You need to make sure you have a reliable swimming pool fence in good condition that meets or exceeds the legal requirements. Since you might be found liable for an unsafe pool, you should also consider installing audible pool alarms, pool safety covers or nets as an additional layer of protection, and add in the backyard pool safety products that may be needed in an emergency situation.
- Carry The Proper Insurance Protection – The old adage is that the right amount of insurance is the largest amount you can afford to purchase. One thing you can count on is that renting a house with a pool comes with a higher premium than insuring a similar property without a swimming pool. While that cost may not be welcome, the protection that comes with it certainly is.
Ask your insurance carrier not just about liability insurance in case of an accident involving the pool, but insuring your pool and any accessory structures against damage. Make sure you understand not just the premiums involved but also the coverage limits, deductibles, and requirements placed on you by the carrier, and don’t be afraid to ask your insurance agent any questions you have about how your policy affects tenants and your swimming pool alike.
- Set Out Swimming Pool Expectations In The Lease – Communicating your requirements to prospective tenants is vital when renting a house with a pool. This needs to include any notification expectations for issues arising with the pool, maintenance that will fall to the tenants, and what services you will provide as the landlord. Many property owners find it more convenient to manage all or part of the pool’s upkeep themselves or through a contractor to ensure their pool is protected and any issues are spotted and addressed as soon as possible.
- Give Written Pool Instructions To Your Tennants – Tenants need to know the proper use and care of all pool equipment, the rules governing their pool use, and how to maintain the pool in a safe fashion. This can include a posted “pool rules” sign but should go further, addressing how to prevent drownings with the equipment provided. This can be an “operational binder,” emailed list, or instruction sheet provided with the home. Make sure to include acknowledgment of receiving these materials in your lease paperwork.
Creating A Safer Rental Property Pool
When renting a house with a pool, you can help mitigate your risk as the owner and the risk to tenants and their guests by creating the safest pool area possible. This means investing in safety equipment that helps prevent drowning when used properly.
- Removable Mesh Pool Fencing – Modern mesh pool fence is cost-effective and durable, making it the perfect safety investment to start with when protecting your tenants and swimming pool. Strong poles are anchored in holes and sleeves sunk into your deck and the surrounding land. Stretched between the poles, low-maintenance, tear-resistant mesh material prevents climbing by keeping gaps small and not allowing handholds or footholds. The self-closing and self-latching gate can be fitted with a loud alarm, making it one of the most effective pool safety barriers available.
- Pool Safety Nets And Covers – Pool safety nets and covers are anchored to the deck and cover the pool when it’s closed to prevent unsupervised access. They each are designed to hold potential drowning victims up and out of the water, keeping them safe until help pulls them to safety. When combined with a mesh pool fence, your property is protected by multiple layers of barriers that help keep your tenants’ friends, family, and pets safer.
- Safety And Rescue Equipment – Providing devices like rescue hooks and flotation devices can be a great way to show your tenants you care about their safety with a small investment that goes beyond your minimum safety equipment requirements. These devices are easy to use, require minimal capital investment, and are effective when the need arises.
Get Your Free Customized Safety Estimate
Our local Lifeguard on Duty installers live in the communities they work in, and they are passionate about protecting their neighbors–both current and prospective. When you request a no-obligation quote, our expert will survey your pool area, take measurements, and tailor a safety quote to help protect your tenants and swimming pool from preventable drownings and increased liability. Before renting a house with a swimming pool, schedule your free quote from Lifeguard on duty.
