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Hourly rental of private pools gains ground in Madrid
Hiring for a few hours a swimming pool that belongs to someone else is becoming an ever less unusual plan in Madrid. Families and groups of friends use specialised platforms to book private gardens with a pool, barbecue or rest areas without needing to rent an entire house.
Demand has increased sharply this summer. Cocopool, one of the platforms specialising in this model, recorded 71% more bookings in the province of Madrid in June than a year earlier. The heat and the search for private spaces for gatherings are driving a format that until recently had a much smaller presence.
It works like holiday rentals, but reduced to a few hours and normally limited to the outdoor area of the home. The owner lists their pool, sets capacity, opening hours and rules, and the user books the space to spend an afternoon, celebrate a birthday or organise a meal.
The Madrid offering is already broad. The platform lists pools in the capital itself and in municipalities such as Boadilla del Monte, Coslada, Rivas-Vaciamadrid, San Fernando de Henares, Tres Cantos and Moraleja de Enmedio. Many spaces start at prices close to 30 or 50 euros per hour, although the larger or more exclusive properties can cost far more.
For groups, the price changes considerably when it is divided. A pool advertised at 42 euros an hour for 15 people can work out at around 17 euros per person if booked for six hours, before extras or commissions. That possibility of sharing the cost explains part of its appeal compared with other private celebrations.
The phenomenon is also beginning to spill beyond the Community of Madrid. Toledo recorded year-on-year growth of 410% in Cocopool bookings in June, the largest increase in all Spain. Its current catalogue includes dozens of pools in municipalities such as Yeles, Seseña, Illescas, Cobisa and Ugena, many of them less than an hour from Madrid.
For owners, opening the pool for a few hours makes it possible to turn a seasonal expense into an extra source of income. For those booking, the advantage lies in having a private space without owning a garden, especially in a region where much of the population lives in flats and depends on municipal or communal pools.
Not everything is permitted, however. Each host sets limits on noise, capacity, alcohol, pets or barbecue use, and gatherings must also respect municipal rules and those governing coexistence in the surrounding area. What works as a pool afternoon for a group can quickly become a problem if it ends up resembling an uncontrolled party.
This summer’s map thus reveals a new way to escape Madrid’s heat: you do not need to have a pool, but you do need to find one available. And when Madrid falls short, more and more users seem willing to drive a few kilometres to rent their own oasis for an afternoon.