Several websites, including one called Swimply.com acts as a booking agent between pool owners and swimmers. Homeowners place photos of their pools online and offer to rent them for several hours or the entire day. The Toms River Municipal Code specifically makes this rental illegal. Summonses will be issued for these violations of the Township Ordinance, says Mayor Maurice “Mo” Hill.
Toms River prohibits property owners from renting any “amenities”, including swimming pools. It is also illegal to advertise, either in print or online, the illegal pool rentals. Mayor Mo stated, “We have ordinances in place to protect not only the integrity and peacefulness of neighborhoods but the overall health and safety of residents.”
Mayor Hill has instructed the Township’s Code Enforcement Division as well as the Quality of Life Unit to periodically view these public listings and then issue summonses to homeowners who are violating the local codes. “In addition to violating the Township Code, these rentals illegally convert private swimming pools into public pools in violation of state, local, and Ocean County Health Department regulations. As well as receiving any locally imposed fines, homeowners who violate the code will be referred to the appropriate state agency for additional enforcement. Additionally, rental of a privately owned pool may compromise their homeowner insurance coverage,” said Mayor Hill.
Homeowners offering pool rentals should be aware that this is illegal within Toms River. We also seek to educate residents as to the potential dangers of these illegal rentals.
