Hamilton homeowners renting out pools call city crackdown an ‘overreaction’
You can rent out your house to strangers in Hamilton, but you can't do the same with your pool.
The city recently started cracking down on homeowners and prohibiting them from charging guests to use their backyard pools because it violates zoning bylaws.
But the decision has left many homeowners puzzled.
Huseyn Sami, who has rented out his pool in Hamilton through the website Swimply, feels the restriction doesn't make sense."
For Ashleigh Clem, the crackdown seems wrong" and political." She asked: How come Airbnb is allowed, and not Swimply?"
Amardeep Jagpal thinks the city's response is an overreaction." Offering up a pool is a community service" to those who couldn't go to one during COVID-19 restrictions, she said.
Over a dozen homeowners, including those in Stoney Creek, Ancaster, and Dundas, have been renting out their pools since last summer via an American app called Swimply - like Airbnb but for renting private pools.
Clem started hosting guests last July. In her experience, almost all her guests have been young families with kids.
She said it has been great" hosting people. We have a pool ... and we're not using it all the time, so might as well rent it out."
As of last week, the ad for Clem's pool was still up, and most of the August weekends were already booked.
She noted that renting it out has also helped in paying the bills" to run the pool. I'm on maternity (leave), so it helps me financially," Clem said.
Earlier this month, Steve Robichaud, director of planning at the city, cited renting out pools as a public health issue" during a July 5 planning committee meeting, and said doing so for social events would not be permitted."
The city said it has since begun to educate property owners who have been renting their pools."
Renting out a private pool is considered commercial recreation under the existing bylaw, and is not permitted within a residential zone (where most, if not all, of these pools, are located)," the city said in an email to The Spectator.
The city confirmed that no charges have been laid yet.
Having a second source of income isn't the only motivation for Hamilton homeowners with pools. Some say they are doing it for the community.
What about people who don't have a place to go for religious reasons?" said Jagpal, who listed the pool at a lower-than-average price. It's not always about, Oh, I want to make money off of it.'"
Jagpal said the city should deal with the exceptional cases just like they would deal with (someone) having loud parties without renting out the pool."
Sami, who started hosting people in his backyard pool last year, thinks the website opened up an avenue" for minority communities like Muslim families who might feel uncomfortable at public pools.
Being a Muslim person, I completely understand that," he said. Providing a private environment like this allowed them (Muslim women) to enjoy a service, (and) respecting their religious beliefs," he said.
Most guests booking the pool are small families with kids, and parents are here, supervising their children all the time," Sami said.
Sami said he and his late wife started hosting people during COVID restrictions - at the time when entry to various public places was limited.
He said the money that came from renting the pool helped his wife, who died of breast cancer two months ago, seek alternative care for her illness.
Sami has since taken down the listing after being contacted by the city.
The city said it will present a report on residential pool rental platforms at a future planning committee meeting.
In the interim, the staff have been looking at methods to provide proactive education to residents" and to explain the permitted use of their properties when being listed online, the city said.
City officials have also been examining new approaches to handling short-term rentals like Airbnb.
Ritika Dubey is a reporter at The Spectator. rdubey@thespec.com