Share And Share Alike

Are there limits to the “sharing economy”?

This week the Washington Post ran an article on people renting out their backyard swimming pools by listing them on Swimply, which the article described as the “Airbnb of aquatic recreation.” The article talked about how much families enjoyed frolicking for a few hours in a nearby, rented pool on a hot day, without having to worry about the cost and upkeep and maintenance and hassle of owning their own pool. And, of course, pool owners can make a nice amount of money on the side by renting out their backyard oases.

With swimming pool rentals, we seem to be exploring new frontiers in the “sharing economy.” There have always been rentals of vacation houses; apps like Airbnb just moved the process on-line and made finding and booking the rentals a lot easier. Similarly, Uber and other ride-sharing apps built on the existing taxicab concept. But renting out your backyard swimming pool while you are there seems like a distinctly novel step. Some might say it seems to cross a clear personal privacy line; others presumably just accept it as the logical next step in our increasingly gigged-up economy.

People can do what they will with their houses–within the framework set by zoning codes, homeowners association rules, and the need to keep neighbors from getting out the torches and pitchforks, of course–and if they want to rent out their pool, why should we care? Speaking for myself, I wouldn’t want to rent out my pool for a few hours; I wouldn’t feel comfortable with it, and wouldn’t want to bear the liability risks or the clean-up duties. Nor would I want to rent some stranger’s pool on a hot summer’s day. It seems different from swimming in a hotel or country club pool; those pools are designed to accommodate visitors and are professionally maintained for that purpose, whereas renting somebody’s personal pool means you are going to a residential neighborhood, crossing a stranger’s lawn, and invading their space. The fact that you are doing so with their permission for a fee makes it legal, but it doesn’t make the concept any less weird in my view.

I wonder if there are any limits to the sharing economy. Do people whose homes have high-end kitchens stocked with the best appliances and cookware rent them out to aspiring chefs? Do people with fancy gardens offer their fragrant and flowery comforts for a fee to people looking for a new place to hold a bridal shower or a genteel tea party? Are yard tools, bicycles, lawn tractors, and family pets available for a fee?

Homes used to be viewed as the inviolable sanctum sanctorum. Now they increasingly are seen as a revenue-generating device.