Swimming Pool Liability Insurance Guide

Whether you have a private backyard pool, or you’re responsible for managing a public pool — homeowner’s associations, condo associations, property management companies — you’ll need to make sure you have sufficient swimming pool liability insurance as part of your plan.

What Is Pool Liability Insurance?

Like any other form of insurance, swimming pool liability insurance is a way to make sure you’re financially protected, specifically when an accident occurs that results in an injury. This applies to residential pools but it’s especially important for publicly owned and operated pools.

Factors you should take into account for your public pool liability insurance coverage include:

The depth of the pool — drowning is more common in deeper pools
Special features, like diving boards and water slides, as they can be dangerous
Whether or not alcohol is permitted — swimming while intoxicated can be dangerous

One indicator of whether or not your liability insurance is sufficient is the frequency you file claims. If you’ve never filed a claim, you may not require the same level of coverage as a pool owner that has. And if you believe your coverage limit is too low, you can always increase it.

Why Do You Need Liability Insurance for a Swimming Pool?

When you own a backyard pool, most accidents will involve family members who already live at your house or friends who are visiting. The injured party may choose to seek compensation for their injury, but chances are, they’ll write it off as an accident and move on.

But when you own a public pool, things are different. It’s easy for someone to blame lifeguards, the conditions of the pool or a lack of clear rules and regulations for an accident.

For example, let’s say your public pool has a diving board, and someone jumping off it accidentally hits their head and needs to go to the ER. If the swimmer, or the swimmer’s parents, believe the pool is responsible, or liable, for the accident, they may seek compensation.

This is why it’s so important to have proper swimming pool liability insurance. If the party who is injured decides to seek compensation, you need to be prepared, or else you could face a very large and unanticipated out-of-pocket expense in order to settle the dispute.

What is the Cost of Swimming Pool Liability Insurance?

Liability insurance for residential pools is often included in a general homeowners insurance policy. However, the coverage limit varies. And, like all insurance, the coverage limit affects your premium — lower coverage limits are more affordable; higher coverage limits are more costly.

The average annual cost of homeowners insurance in the United States without a pool is $1,445. With a pool, the annual average cost increases to $2,635, according to ValuePenguin.

Similar to homeowners insurance, public pools managed by homeowners associations, condo associations and property management companies are often covered under the property’s general liability policy. However, having a pool opens you up to greater risks from a liability standpoint, and that must be considered when choosing your liability insurance coverage.

If you own or operate a public pool, you can mitigate risks by regularly getting your pool inspected. Swimming Pool Inspection Services has a network of certified inspectors nationwide who can make sure your pool is in line with all local pool regulations and point out any risks.