Keep your residents safe by ensuring your pool is ready for summer fun and will be safe and clean for the hot weather. From standard pool safety to-dos like childproofing and ensuring drain covers, to unique ideas like hosting swim lessons on-site, there are a lot of ways you can prioritize water safety at your rental property. These tips can ensure everyone has a safe and fun pool experience.
Keeping your residents safe is of the utmost priority for a landlord or property manager, and with summer in full-swing, pool safety should be on your mind.
A resident swimming pool can add value and entertainment to your existing offerings and is an often sought-after amenity among renters. However, as fun as a pool can be, marinating it is not all fun and games.
It is vital to provide safety for residents of all ages, but when it comes to pools on your property young children are often the most at risk. Keeping your property properly childproofed to ensure that you are avoiding liability and are following fair housing guidelines extends further than your building’s front door. Consider these key points when assessing your outdoor space for pool safety:
Drain Covers
Install anti-entrapment drain covers to ensure you are compliant with the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act of 2007. (An act named for a 6 yr old girl who drowned as a result of a hot tub drain suction.)
Swim Lessons
Keep your smallest residents safe by ensuring they have the skills to navigate the water. Host swim lessons at the beginning of the summer to add value for your residents & further ensure that children in your pool are safe.
Childproof
Fencing can be both a helpful safety tool or a safety hazard depending on how and where it is installed. Fencing for pools should be at least 4 ft high with rails less than four inches apart to prevent climbing. Check local laws about correct pool signage.
CPR Training
Host a CPR course that residents can pay to join, and consider footing the bill for a few resident ambassadors to increase the likelihood that someone on-site can assist in an emergency before emergency services arrive.
Hire Out
Safety is about more than lowering drowning risks. Keeping your pool clean to keep residents healthy is also vital.
Consider hiring this task out to ensure a job well-done without dealing with HAZMAT storage on-site. Screen potential vendors to find a pool management company that is properly licensed, bonded, and insured. This company can take the day-to-day load of pool maintenance off of your staff, and since they carry their own liability coverage, their insurers will absorb any liability that may arise from pool-related incidents so you can breathe easy.
Summertime amenities are always a hit with residents, and from property BBQ’s to the perfect pool party, there’s no better venue for a resident event than right outside your tenant’s door this summer.
Keeping pool safety and summer maintenance on your mind and preemptively tending to any issues, will ensure that your residents can fully enjoy all that your property offers.
Originally published June 12, 2019 updated July 10, 2023
This article is extremely useful and informative. You have discussed a great topic about swimming safety. I always keep these tips in mind.
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Thank you for sharing this article. Installing any swimming pool requires maintaining certain safety standards, indeed. I just want to add that above-ground swimming pools may be inherently safer. By default, most above-ground pools have a high entry point of 52 to 54-inches, which reduces the chance of accidental falls.
I’d like to add that keeping an eye on the pool’s plumbing is key for safety. Properly maintained pool drains and filters can prevent accidents by ensuring strong suction doesn’t pose a risk to swimmers. Installing anti-entrapment drain covers is also a simple yet crucial step to enhance safety.