Communal Pool Area Etiquette for Apartment Dwellers

If you’re lucky enough to live in an apartment complex with a communal pool, there are a few written and unwritten rules that people should abide by to make life less stressful for everybody.

The rules are there because no one wants to come come down to the pool only to find it a mess, and no one wants to come home from a long day of work and be driven mad by loud shouting from the pool.

The vast majority of rules out there are primarily about being courteous to your neighbours and other pool-users, but tend to be easily overlooked while you’re having fun.

If you’re new to communal areas, or just looking for a recap, keep these few simple rules in mind.

Keep the noise level within reason

Depending on your apartment building’s layout, there may be a few places that open up directly to the poolside, or at least have a window or two facing it. If that’s the case, it’s probably safe to assume that those people would appreciate noise being kept to a liveable level from those in the pool area.

Noise complaints stemming from shared pools are an extremely common occurrence in apartment administration. People like to have fun, invite over friends, share with their families (especially young kids), and just generally goof around and party at the poolside, which can sometimes lead to a lot of noise and general disturbances.

It’s important to remember that there’s absolutely no reason to stop having fun. Just remember to keep it at a level that you could stand if you lived next door.

This can also extend to simple additional courtesies, such as not splashing water too far around if there are open windows within a short distance, or splashing heavily chlorinated water onto the surrounding ground area.

Poolside safety, others, and you

Remember that in a communal setting your actions speak not just for yourself, but for other people.

If you start breaking common pool safety rules such as running or dive-bombing (if there’s a rule against those activities), then not only are you putting yourself at risk but you might make others – primarily children who might also be swimming – feel that it’s fine to break those rules as well. This can result in injuries and an unsafe environment for other pool users, so it’s best to abide by the stated rules given by the body corporate.

Follow the chair rule

A towel on a chair by the pool is often perceived as having the equivalent of a land deed attached. It’s the unspoken contract by which the poolside seats are distributed, and apartment wars have been fought over much less.

If you’re unfamiliar with the system, it simply means that if you’re going to be gone from the pool for a short while but want to get right back to relaxing in the perfect spot, you can lay your towel down for a short while before getting back.

The approximate amount of time you have to return before somebody can rightfully throw the towel off of the chair varies from place to place, and there’s no hard-and-fast rule, but if you’ve just arrived and there’s a towel on a chair it might be a good idea to leave it be.

Lanes

If your pool has lanes, it’s obviously much more polite to take a free lane rather than congest an occupied one.

If all lanes are used and you’re sharing one (or if you’re not using a lane and somebody else is), then remember to keep out of that person’s way. They’ll probably be concentrating on their form and on swimming in general, and if you’re crossing lanes you could end up colliding, or at least throwing them off of their stride.

Additionally, if you’re swimming with somebody a lot slower than you, overtaking them should be done at the end of a lap rather than halfway through. Leave more than enough room to not collide with the person, and if possible give them some kind of heads up (some people tap feet, while others simply swim by on the far right side).

When in doubt, look for a list

If there’s a list of rules and etiquette guidelines at your communal pool, follow them to the letter. It doesn’t really matter about following the chair rule if there’s an explicit rule in place against saving spots.

Pool etiquette is a tried and tested necessity, in place to keep as many revellers as happy as possible. So enjoy, take it easy, and relax in your apartment’s beautiful facilities.