Intro to Hosting FAQs

Do I have control over who rents my pool? Yes, you are encouraged to vet your guests to ensure they know your rules and you have a good idea of what to expect from the guest. You are fully in your right to deny a booking that makes you feel uncomfortable. You should also set your max guest limit to avoid more guests coming than you are comfortable with.

Do I need a waiver for guests? It is not required as guests agree to the terms by using the Swimply app/website. But some hosts do use waivers for personal peace of mind.

How does the protection guarantee work? At this time, our Swimply Protection Guarantee is offered to bookings that take place in the US, Canada, and Australia.

Three programs help protect both hosts and guests:

• US and Canadian Host Protection Guarantee - Hosts are protected in the unfortunate event that a Guest is injured during a Swimply reservation and a claim or lawsuit is made against a Host for bodily injury. The program provides protection up to $2,000,000 USD.
• Australian Host Protection Guarantee – Hosts are protected in the unfortunate event that a Guest is injured during a Swimply reservation and a claim or lawsuit is made against a Host for bodily injury. The program provides protection up to $2,000,000 AUD.
• Property Damage Protection - Hosts are eligible for up to $10,000 if a Host’s pool or property is damaged during a Swimply reservation and the Guest is unwilling or unable to pay for the damages.

Do I need to provide a bathroom? While technically not required, it is usually a major appeal for guests. Some hosts allow the use of an inside bathroom that is usually close to the pool space but many prefer not to allow strangers into their house. While it’s ideal to have a dedicated outdoor bathroom, when it’s not possible, hosts have rented portable bathrooms or built camping style bathrooms to accommodate guests.

Do larger parties need a lifeguard (with or without kids)? There is no requirement for a lifeguard as the renter is responsible for his guests, however you can choose to require it or suggest it as something to consider. We personally do not require it but have had guests hire one, and do have someone we can refer when a guest asks.

What if a guest brings more people than they listed? It’s always important to confirm the number of Guests prior to the booking. Things happen and if there are more people than expected it’s easy to make a change to the number of Guests by editing the reservation. Both Hosts and Guests can edit the booking before or during the reservation. If you aren’t able to add extra Guests during or before the time of booking our Host Care team can help reach out to the Guest. Keep in mind that collection of funds is not guaranteed once the booking is over.

What if a guest wants to extend their booking? This is allowed if you’re okay with the extension. This can be edited in the app before or during the reservation. It’s always smart to confirm the extension (or any changes) through the Swimply Chat.

What if a guest goes past their booking but is not willing to extend or similar? As always do your best to confirm any extended time through the Swimply Chat. If you have proof of something in the chat, Swimply's Host Care team will help make the change without needing the guest to do so. While the Host Care team can help it’s always best to make changes through the app.

How do I set my booking settings so that it has a 2 hour min? Navigate to: Manage your listing> Availability > General Settings. There you will see the option to choose your minimum.

Reviews: Are they important and how do I get them? Always leave reviews for guests who you have had issues with so that future hosts are aware of those issues. These reviews are for hosts to see. Host reviews are very important as they improve your search ranking and also will get you more bookings. Here's what you can do to ensure your guests will leave a review on your listing. 24 hours after a reservation has occurred, message the swimmer: thank them for visiting, and ask them to leave a review. We recommend waiting until the next day to message them, as we have discovered guests are more likely to take the time to leave a review after some time has passed.

Am I limited to chatting only in the Swimply App with my guest? In general try to get guests to make important statements in the Swimply chat. Those records will allow you to better deal with Swimply's Host Care team. You can chat in person or in other ways if it’s casual and doesn’t pertain to specifics about the booking but otherwise having it in the chat is best.

How do I manage special pricing for Holidays, especially that fall on a weekday? Tiered Pricing: Hosts now have the ability to raise pricing or provide discount pricing on specified days using the new Surge feature. For example, if a holiday is coming up and you want to add a 30% surcharge just for that day, you can do it! If a certain day of the week is slower than others and you want to discount that day by 10% to incentivize Guests to book, you can do that as well!

Surge allows the Host to select a price modifier percentage from -90% to +100% in increments of 10.

After applying the surge, the newly surged pricing will display in brown for the selected dates. The listing's normal pricing is displayed in black.

• Clear - Click this to erase the surged pricing and revert back to the pricing in black for the dates selected.
• Edit - Click this to update and make adjustments to the current surged pricing for the dates selected.
• Set Price Modifier - This also allows you to update and make adjustments to the current surged pricing for the dates selected.

Non-Tiered Pricing: In your premium amenities, create an Amenity and name it something like “4th of July Rate” or “Holiday Rate” and set it to offset your weekday discount. (Ex. If your weekend rate is $50 and your weekday discount is 20% = $10 discount, then that Amenity should be $10/h). Some guests may miss this amenity but kindly remind them it is required to book that holiday. Similarly you could do this if you wanted to raise the price of a given holiday even if it falls on a weekend.

I’ve completed my first booking, when do I get paid? Assuming you’ve properly set up your Stripe account, your payment should be deposited into your Stripe account within 2-3 days, and then another 1-2 days to be transferred to your bank account. Small delays may occur due to weekends and for your very first few bookings.