Summer Is Over, but Pools Are Still in the News as Rockland County Continues to Battle With Pool Rental Companies

Yisroel R.

Summer may be over, and backyard swimming pools may be closed for the season, but in Rockland County, the battle over renting out private pools is far from finished, as county officials are once again heading to court in their years-long dispute with pool rental platform Swimply.

The Rockland County Department of Health is making its fourth attempt to obtain records from Swimply, a company that allows homeowners to rent out their backyard swimming pools by the hour. The County is seeking the names and addresses of local homeowners who have rented out their pools through the platform, along with rental records dating back to January 1, 2026.

The dispute stretches back to 2017, when Rockland County challenged Pool For U, an earlier pool rental business founded by Bunim Laskin, who later founded Swimply. County officials have long argued that homeowners renting their private pools to paying customers may be operating public swimming pools without the required health permits and safety inspections.

However, Swimply has strongly resisted the County’s repeated attempts to obtain its records, arguing that Rockland officials are overstepping their authority by demanding private customer information from a company based outside the county. Swimply has raised concerns about the privacy of its users and the disclosure of confidential business records, while questioning whether the Rockland County Department of Health has the legal jurisdiction to compel an out-of-county company to provide such information.

The company has also challenged the scope of the County’s requests, arguing against handing over extensive records about homeowners and their rental activities. These objections have contributed to a lengthy legal battle, with previous attempts by Rockland County to obtain the information facing procedural and jurisdictional challenges.

For Rockland County, obtaining those records could allow health officials to identify individual homeowners and investigate whether their pools were being rented out in violation of health regulations. Homeowners found to be operating without the required permits could potentially face fines and other enforcement action.

In the latest development, Justice Larry Schwartz has given Swimply until October 23 to challenge the County’s subpoena, marking another chapter in a dispute that has continued for years.

And while Rockland residents may have already packed away their pool floats and closed their pools for the winter, the fight over who can legally rent out a backyard swimming pool is still very much alive.