OK, got a chance to read the thread. Wow. lots to unpack.
Gotta lock your pool gates, folks. As I mentioned, I installed these on my gates. Took a bit of doing, but they end up going on just like any door to the outside. I found flip up plastic housings that go over the locks and keep most of the rain off. From the inside out, it's just a turn of a deadbolt latch. From the outside in, its a keypad code. These locks can have a bunch of codes, so I have my code, family members each have theirs, and then one each for any vendors I might want to grant access. Any code can be erased, which means if I fire a vendor, or want to remove "access rights" to anyone, I just erase their code. Then, everyone else doesn't have to learn a new code. That's problematic with a single combo lock solution. Never have to have my keys, and going through the gate just takes a few seconds longer than having no locks. Lights up at night, too.
I can't now remember where I learned it, but when I first got into "landlording," investment property purchase rule #1: don't buy a rental property with a pool or spa! Maintenance issues aside, the liability risk makes an outdoor body of water a deal breaker. I'd never rent my pool for a lot of reasons, but the liability would be reason #1. It's one thing to have to clean up some disgusting mess once is a while, but to take the chance that some random accident, that might not even be your fault, could cost you your pool, your house, and your entire life's savings? For some extra cash? The stress alone from constantly worrying about that wouldn't be worth the money, even if nothing ever happened!
One of the things I first learned when I started having family friends over, nobody watches the kids, not even their
own kids! They pay attention to each other, their drinks and food, and their phones. That's it. You
have to be lifeguard on duty. You can't really trust anyone else. When there are kids in the pool, if I have to stop watching for a bit, I assign lifeguard duty to one of the other adults. I expect there's a maybe 20% chance they'll pay attention to the pool for the first minute or two, so I really can't be away from the pool longer than that! For our bigger kid parties, we have hired a professional life guard. Which basically means the chances go up to maybe 50% that the pool is being watched. Plus they want breaks every hour! It's pretty difficult to protect a pool during a big party in any way other than you watching it like a hawk yourself. Also, I ban the big floatie toys for large groups, which block visibility to the bottom. There is no way I would trust a group of strangers to monitor safety at a pool. No way.
Yah, no stangers in my bathrooms! Yikes. If others were to consider this, you'd have to have a pool house, or heck, rent a port-a-potty for the pool rental season, with one of those attached hand-washing stations. I have a "pee pot" for the kids, who get a kick out of using it, but ya can't really advertise that as a pool rental feature!
I'm considering converting the two-bedroom end of my house to a private suite. Might be for guests, or visiting family. I thought maybe for a live-in caretaker someday, or even some extra air-bnb-type income. But before I add the outside door that would make that a reality, the first thing I'm going to do is add another locking gate that would separate that outside door from the pool. Nobody I'd let use that end of the house would have access to the pool. Again, the liability of that is just too uncomfortable.
I recently had a large adult-only pool party. After they left for the night, I was putting the vac back in and could barely see the bottom. Yikes. I thought the kids were bad!! When they're in the water for hours, and people are handing them drinks, but they're not getting out... don't even have to do the math on that. And these were friends!! Can you imagine the abuse your pool and yard would endure from strangers, who think $75 for the hour entitles them to any sort of mischief or depraved activity. And all of the pools in those videos?!? They were absolutely disgusting. I wouldn't want to rent a pool like that (for myself, or to others, yuck, either way). And I certainly wouldn't want to turn my pool into that!
That guy's big pool with the rope swing and the diving board and the king-o-the-hill diving platform, etc? Accident, accident, accident, accident waiting to happen!
Then, of course, the maintenance, insurance, licenses, permits, commissions, rental management, paperwork. Cleaning the floors, the bathroom, the yard? And then there is the aspect of waiting on people? Dealing with strangers? People pleasing jobs are the lowest. I've traveled a fair bit. There is no more demanding, rude, entitled, self-centered creature than an American on vacation. We are the worst! Why would I want one of those in my house and yard!?!
It just all sounds bad to me, on so many levels. Lock your gates. Enjoy your pool with family and friends. The end.
www.airbnb.com
news.yahoo.com
They stay booked though. It’s a special thing around here to be invited to a party at Thornton’s pool.
abc13.com
setexasrecord.com
