Small swimming pools make a splash in France
Mini pools under 10m2 are rising in popularity although getting one to avoid paying taxes is a 'silly decision'
Small swimming pools are a 'twenty year' investment
Waterair
They might be scarcely bigger than some baths but very small swimming pools of less than 10m2 now account for between 15% and 20% of new pools in France.
The pools, which are too small for adults to dive safely into, are exempt from the taxe d'aménagement and do not require a déclaration préalable de travaux to be lodged with the mairie.
However, they must still be declared on your tax declaration, unless they are smaller than 5m2, and will likely increase your taxe foncière.
“We always tell clients that it is silly to choose a very small swimming pool just to avoid some taxes, because it is an investment of at least 20 years,” Jacques Braun, president of swimming pool maker Waterair, told The Connexion.
Read more: French property tax fraud: what is targeted other than 'secret’ swimming pools?
Extras can make the price rise considerably
“But the fact is that land has become expensive in many parts of France and gardens are much smaller, and it is this which leads people to have a small or very small swimming pool.”
Waterair has seven models of swimming pools of 10 m2 or less on its books. They are all made the same way as larger pools, with steel panels fitted together, into which plastic liners are put.
The cheapest Waterair small pool is €7,800 but Mr Braun says that, with all the extras available, the price can easily rise closer to €20,000.
“Clients either want a pool as a feature for an outside lounge area, in which case we recommend rounded shapes, or for exercise, in which case they are generally rectangular, usually measuring five metres by two metres. We can fit a machine to create a current so you swim in the same place.”
The depth of the pool depends on the model but most are between 1m20 and 1m60 deep.
Read more: Above-ground swimming pools in France: rules, prices, installation
Upkeep costs
Swimming pool maintenance costs are directly proportional to the size of the pool, so very small pools cost less to run than larger ones. Mr Braun said around €300 a year for a small pool in the south-west of France was a guide. This depends, of course, on how long the pool is used for.
Home swimming pools first became popular in France after the heatwave of 1976, but it was in the early 2000s that a large increase in the number of pools was noted.
After the Covid lockdowns, there was another spurt of interest, and they are one of the most popular large home improvement projects in the country.
