Transparency

Families searching for senior living deserve clear rules. This page explains how FindRetireHome.com is paid, what data we show, and how we contact you after you ask for help. For the short FAQ version, see how we get paid.

How we're paid (plain English)

You don't pay us. Families and shoppers use FindRetireHome at no cost.

Senior living communities that partner with us may pay us in one or both of these ways:

1. Marketing subscription (partner marketing fee)
Some communities pay a flat monthly or annual subscription for listing exposure, partner tools, and lead routing. That subscription is a marketing fee between us and the community. It is not a fee you pay, and it is not a charge that should increase the monthly rate the community quotes you.

2. Private-pay placement fee (success fee)
Some communities pay us a success fee only if a private-pay resident moves in after our introduction (under our partner contract). That fee is also paid by the community, not by you. Our partner rules say it must not raise the monthly rate quoted to your family.

What this means for you

• Getting help from an advisor and browsing listings stays free.
• Communities may appear whether or not they buy optional Featured placement.
• Best Match / advisor shortlists are based on fit (needs, location, budget, availability), not on who pays us more.
• We do not charge communities a success fee when the resident's stay is paid by Medicaid (or similar government healthcare programs) under our partner rules.

For partner contract details, communities use our Community Partner Agreement. Your residency contract is always with the community, not with FindRetireHome. A signed Partner Agreement is required before portal access, referred families, or invoices.

Common questions

Do you charge families a referral fee?
No. Families use FindRetireHome free.

Communities that accept Medicaid or waiver-funded residents may instead pay FindRetireHome a flat membership fee to receive those referrals. That fee is fixed and never depends on how many families are referred or move in, and Medicaid-funded families are never the subject of a per-placement fee.

Then how do you make money?
From partner communities, through a marketing subscription and/or a private-pay placement success fee defined in our partner agreement, not from billing families.

We do not sell pay-to-rank placement in organic search results or inspection rankings. Claiming and maintaining a listing is free; partner communities can improve their listings with photos, pricing, and accurate details at no cost.

Will partner fees make my rent higher?
Our partner agreement requires that fees not increasethe family's quoted or contracted monthly rate. Always confirm pricing directly with the community in writing.

Can a community pay to rank higher in Best Match?
No. Best Match and advisor shortlists are based on fit. Optional Featured/Promoted spots, if offered, are labeled separately.

What's the difference between the subscription and the placement fee?
The subscription is a flat marketing/listing fee a community may pay for exposure and lead routing. The placement fee is paid only on certain private-pay move-ins. Neither is charged to families. You don't need to "pick a track."

How we surface communities

Featured placement on the homepage highlights communities with a street address, a short description, and at least one verified facility photo. Those showcase cards are labeled Promoted. Paid featured packages are also labeled Promoted on search cards and community profiles, never Best Match. Default search sort (Best Match) prefers photo-backed listings with a street address, then rating. Featured is not a Best Match rank. You can also choose:

• Fewest deficiencies for compliance-first browse among communities with inspection data
• Lowest Class I-II to prioritize campuses without the most serious AHCA findings on file
• Price or rating when those signals matter more for your shortlist

Partner communities can claim listings and improve photos, pricing, floor plans, and payment-accept flags. Those updates help families research; they do not buy a better deficiency score or Best Match rank.

What listing badges mean

• Medicaid Partner means the community has a paid Medicaid partner membership with FindRetireHome (a flat monthly fee, not a per-placement fee) and tells us it accepts Medicaid. Our advisors work with these communities on Medicaid placements. The badge is a paid membership label, not an inspection, rating, or endorsement, and it never changes Best Match order.
• Promoted: Medicaid partners on city pages is a paid section showing up to three Verified Medicaid Partners in that city. It is labeled Promoted, sits apart from the main listings, and does not move, add, or remove anything in the results below it.
• Medicaid bed open means the community itself reported at least one open Medicaid bed in the last 14 days. We do not verify bed counts, and the badge is hidden automatically once the report is more than 14 days old. Always confirm with the community.
• Family Favorite (for example, Family Favorite 2026) is shown when a community has at least 5 family reviews published on FindRetireHome with an average of 4.5 stars or higher. It is calculated only from reviews on our site, and communities cannot pay for it.

Email-first contact

Aggressive multi-agency call floods are a common complaint with large referral platforms. On FindRetireHome lead forms you can choose email me first. We will send matches by email and only call if you ask. We do not sell your phone number to a list of competing agencies.

Inspection and licensing data

We surface public compliance context from state licensing agencies so families can research before touring. In Florida that includes AHCA-oriented deficiency summaries for assisted living. For certified nursing homes we reference CMS quality signals. Always verify live records on the official portals before you decide.

• FloridaHealthFinder / AHCA
• Medicare Care Compare (CMS)
• How to read an AHCA deficiency report

What we are not

FindRetireHome is not a government agency, not a medical provider, and not a law firm. Advisors help you compare options. Tours, contracts, clinical assessments, and move-in decisions remain between your family and the community.

Compare us to large referral sites

See how we differ from advisor-call-first directories: alternatives overview, A Place for Mom alternative, Caring.com alternative, Seniorly alternative, AssistedLiving.com alternative, and AllyKin alternative.

Also see our Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, Accessibility Notice, and For communities page.