After the pandemic, exteriors continue to be valued. And if we add to that interest the growing tourism and the champagne effect after years of restrictions, it is not surprising that just as the number of tourist rentals increases, the number of its outdoor areas also increases. “The rental of spaces has become the business of the summer. In fact, the private pool rental market is today an option that is growing more and more throughout Spain and is a trend that is increasingly attracting the attention of owners and bathers,” explains Gerard Xalabarde, CEO of Cocopool. an online platform created in Barcelona with which you can rent more than 250 swimming pools, some of them in the Valencian Community.
The platform works with offers from Madrid and Barcelona, ??mainly, but in recent months they have detected that the business is growing in Andalusia and the Valencian Community, from where they receive more and more offers to advertise on their website. “There are many potential hosts, more and more offers are coming to us,” explains Xalabarde, who points out that the average reservation in the Valencian Community is 480 euros and lasts about six hours. In general, the company points out that the average profitability of the platform owners is about 4,000 euros for renting their pool in the summer season. Some can even reach up to 10,000 euros.
The phenomenon is not new, but it is growing and parallel to the rise of private venues for celebrations of the same type that operate especially in the low season. For about four years, the French company Swimmy has been marketing outdoor spaces for events and private celebrations, also in the Valencian Community.
Currently on its website there are 22 locations in Valencia, 19 in Alicante and another 8 in Castellón. The description is very similar in all of them, as they highlight that they are “perfect for events such as birthdays, family meals and other celebrations.” There are also more detailed ones: no details are spared and they specify whether there are sun loungers, a chill-out area, or a barbecue and even a trampoline for children, who are usually welcome but always with “extra surveillance”.
One of those users who rented a pool for private use explains that she managed the reservation through the application and finally exchanged messages with the owner to agree on reservation details. “She rented me the downstairs part, where she had a barbecue, and the owners were inside the house, because they lived there, but we didn’t see them all morning. In fact, to go to the bathroom we went to the laptop that they had put on the terrace, so we didn’t go inside at all,” explains this user.
Can an individual rent part of their home? In this case, to register the pool, the owner does not need a tourist license, they explain, because there is no overnight stay, and the income is later declared as “an income from real estate capital,” explains the CEO. At Cocopool the prices are set by each owner based on the characteristics of their space and pool, but they range from 30 euros per person per day to those who add 10,000 euros throughout the summer season.
Following the regional regulations of the Valencian Community, this rental would not fall under the designation of housing for tourist use since only complete properties are contemplated here (flats, chalets, townhouses…), which are regularly rented for tourist or vacation purposes. or leisure, through the internet or other new technology systems. In addition, article 47 of Decree 10/2021, of January 22, of the Consell, regulator of accommodation in the Valencian Community, provides that the home is transferred in its entirety and that the transfer of rooms is not permitted.
Would this type of rental require a license if the use of the bathroom is also included with the pool? As the platform explains, host and bather sign a temporary rental contract to exempt the owner from liability for possible damage to the terrace.
“In general, hosts do not usually take out insurance and if they do, it is civil liability insurance for one-day events,” he explains. This policy covers possible damages that may be caused to third parties during a public or private, cultural, sporting, social or business event.
