LAKEWOOD — First it was the personal automobile: Simply tap on a smartphone and, presto! A limousine, with driver, could be summoned to wherever you are.

Then it was the private home, transformed into a makeshift hotel with a few clicks of the mouse.

Now making a splash in the "sharing economy": the backyard swimming pool.

"Pool For U" is a Lakewood-based online marketplace where homeowners can rent out their swimming pools on an hourly basis. Bunim Laskin, the 20-year-old "face" of the company, said it's geared toward families looking for a cheaper way to enjoy the summer.

"Our slogan is ‘bringing summer closer to home,'" said Laskin, who said his actual role with the company is undefined. The website Pool For U launched in early July. "We don’t want you traveling to Puerto Rico just to sit in a pool."

Pool For U is Laskin's foray into the "sharing economy," the peer-to-peer style of business popularized by Uber, Lyft, Airbnb and Kickstarter.

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But while the "sharing economy" began as a way to bring luxury services to the masses — Uber began as a "black car" service and Kickstarter made anyone a startup investor — entrepreneurs have begun dipping their toes into more "everyday" services.

“The challenge for all of these ideas are how well do they scale and how sticky they are,” said Marc Pfeiffer, a Rutgers University professor at the Bloustein School of Public Policy. “Is it something that people will just use a couple of times – or is it something that endures?”

The Pool For U concept was inspired by Laskin's own upbringing, part of a large Jewish family in Lakewood that loved swimming. But their home didn't have a swimming pool and the beach is a half-hour away — 40 minutes with Lakewood traffic.

A senior citizen living down the street told Laskin, 20, it costs her “thousands” just to open her pool each summer – and Laskin offered to rent it from her.

“People every year are spending a couple thousand dollars to open up their pools,” Laskin said. “But they’re only using it 10 percent or 15 percent of the time when there’s an entire community of people who don’t have pools for various reasons.”

As of Aug. 4, there are currently 26 listings on the fledgling website with hourly rates ranging from $25 to $325 per hour depending on the date, time and size of the pool. You can view a few listings in the video at the top of this page.

Per the website's user agreement, a host gets 85 percent of the revenue. Pool For U takes 15 percent of the revenue and also charges guests a fee.

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Still in its early stages, Pool For U has centered its early growth around Lakewood and towns like it. The website has listings in nine towns in New Jersey and New York, including Brooklyn and Rockland County, all of which have substantial Orthodox Jewish populations.

The common theme among all the pools is seclusion, with pools promoted as "completely" or "fully private." A few even advertise a "mechitza" — a large barrier or wall, though many listings feature simply a tarp propped up over a fence — to ensure neighbors and passers-by can't see in.

Sects of Judaism have different laws that prohibit or restrict co-ed swimming and require men and women to dress "modestly" while swimming. Many Jewish community pools hold separate hours for male and female swimming.

On a recent day, there were 14 listings in Lakewood alone and one in Jackson.

EXAMPLE: Sexes separated at Lakewood pool

AND THEN...: Lakewood condo owners sued over single-sex pool

The early focus on Jewish communities was based on supply and demand, Laskin said.

Lakewood has 100,000 people, more than half of whom belong to Jewish communities, and not nearly enough swimming pools to handle the sweltering summer heat.

Pool For U has tried to reach them with advertisements in Jewish-focused circulars and Lakewood-specific websites.

"You don’t want to advertise somewhere where there’s a lot of pools,” Laskin said. “The Jewish people are the most likely to do it and that’s where we needed to start up and get as much feedback as possible.

"It's simply communities that we have more connections to, so we have a stronger network effect," he said.

It's only the first phase, he said: The plan is to grow into any community where people are willing to list and rent swimming pools.

"We don't bring tourism to streets that don't want it. We're a sharing economy within the community," Laskin said. "Unlike Airbnb, the person renting your pool probably lives three minutes down the road."

Murky insurance waters

But it's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt — or, more importantly, until they sue, according to legal experts.

Like Airbnb, VRBO and other private rental websites, Pool For U is tapping into uncharted insurance territory. The company requires hosts to sign waivers declaring that they are operating legally under municipal and state laws.

The waivers, also signed by renters, also advise pool owners to ensure they have proper insurance coverage and tell renters that Pool For U won't be held liable for personal injury.

A personalized section in a listing can have additional rules set forth by the homeowner — "no pets in the water," for example.

When asked about the concept of renting out a private pool, I&E Insurance Agency principal Ernest Caponegro called a dozen insurance carriers to inquire about it.

"Not one would allow someone with a regular homeowner policy to do that," said Caponegro, whose firm is based in Point Pleasant. "If they find out you're doing it, if they find you on a website, they will issue you an order of cancellation."

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And if someone files suit against a homeowner, citing personal injury? Personal injury attorney Dan Matrafajlo said the insurance provider would likely refuse to cover the claim — leaving the homeowner to cover any penalties or judgments themselves.

“You build a pool and notify the insurance company. Your homeowner’s insurance covers guests coming to visit – not any other individual,” Matrafajlo said. “If you rent it out and someone gets hurt, the insurance company is not covering it.”

It's a common theme among short-term rental businesses. Caponegro said that even Airbnb, which offers a $1 million insurance policy for its hosts, is "frowned upon" by insurance brokers.

MORE: Asbury Park may crack down on short-term rentals

In most cases, the revenue from renting a swimming pool isn't worth the risk to a homeowner, he said.

"Your risk is greater than your reward. You'd have to play with the numbers but I can't see how it would be feasible," Caponegro said.

Nonetheless, Laskin said the company is "following the road of Airbnb." For now, it's a simple website with a few dozen listings — but one day, the company could offer its own insurance policy as well.

“We’re following the road of Airbnb. As they grew, they were able to provide their own insurance policy but they weren’t able to do that on day one,” Laskin said.

Legal challenges

The Press began researching swimming pool rentals in late July, when there were four listings in Jackson and 20 listed in Lakewood.

Jackson Township Administrator Helene Schlegel said such activity was illegal in the town. One rental pool — it's not clear if it was listed on Pool For U — was issued a cease-and-desist letter on July 25, Schlegel said.

As of Aug. 7, only 14 Lakewood listings and one Jackson listing remain.

According to Schlegel, Jackson's municipal code requires a homeowner to get zoning board approval when changing the use of any property — from a private home to a rented one, for example.

"Once we were made aware of the situation we addressed it immediately," Schlegel said. Township officials are currently working on ordinances that would tackle short-term rentals, including both homes and swimming pools, she said.

In Toms River, where officials have already largely outlawed Airbnb, "numerous code violations" have been issued for swimming pool rentals, according to town administrator Paul Shives.

MORE: Toms River to limit Airbnb rentals

The pushback was expected, Laskin said: "Everywhere Airbnb is a problem, we're a problem," he said.

A key difference is, Pool For U is looking to kickstart a new industry, not "disrupt" an existing one. Hotel lobbyists and unions have waged war on Airbnb for years, and Uber and Lyft have been scrapping with taxi and limousine companies since their inception.

But those battles are unlikely to occur with Pool For U, Laskin said. Instead, the company will be able to negotiate specific regulations with municipalities — or so he hopes.

"They came in and had a lot of hate and destroyed entire industries," Laskin said of Airbnb and Uber . "What we did was literally bring in a service that didn't exist before. We're creating tourism in a community that doesn't have it."

Mike Davis: 732-643-4223; mdavis@gannettnj.com