How to rent out gym space

What parts of a gym can you rent out?

Start with the floor plan. A gym with a divider curtain sells as one space or as two courts, and each of those is its own rental. Smaller pieces fill more hours: a volleyball club needs one court for practice, a basketball league wants the full gym on game night.

• Full gym

  Tournaments, league nights, school events and anything that needs the seating.

• One court or one half

  Team practices, pickleball or badminton groups, and parties.

How much should you charge for a gym rental?

Work out what an hour costs you: staff, heat and lights, cleaning, insurance and floor wear, divided over the hours you can realistically sell. That's your floor.

Price a single court a little above its share of the full gym, since you still open the building for it. Charge more for events with spectators than for practices. Post an hourly price for every space and say whether it includes sales tax.

Do gym renters need insurance and a waiver?

Ask each renting group for its own liability insurance, usually at least two million dollars, and a copy of the certificate before the first booking. Check the amount with your own insurer first.

Have everyone who plays sign a waiver, and put your rules in a rental agreement the renter accepts before booking, so nobody argues them at the door.

What should a gym rental policy cover?

Keep it short and show it before people book.

• Start and end

  Arrive at the start time and leave the floor clear at the end time.

• Equipment

  Which nets, hoops and dividers are included, and who sets them up.

• Footwear and food

  Clean indoor shoes, and where food and drinks are allowed.

• Damage

  The renter pays for damage beyond normal wear.

• Payment and cancellation

  When payment is due, and the deadline to cancel for a refund.

How do renters find and book your gym?

A request form that waits for an office reply loses the renter who wanted an answer tonight. Publish open hours, rates and rules, and let renters pick a time and confirm it themselves. Keep taking phone bookings, but put them on the same calendar.

Look after your regulars. Confirm their weekly nights before each season opens to the public.

Where LocalRec helps

LocalRec Facility OS puts the full gym and each court on one calendar. Booking the full gym blocks both halves, so a court can never be sold twice, whether the booking came from the desk, the web or the app.

Customers book open hours on your booking page or in the LocalRec app. Your waiver or rental agreement is signed at their first booking, and you choose how they pay: card at booking into your own Stripe account, Interac e-Transfer, or at the facility. LocalRec takes no commission.

Regulars can ask for the same night every week in the app, and a player who books a court can turn it into a pickup game other players join.