Original post
My brother is about to move into a sober living house he found online and I've never seen it in person. What can I actually check from the outside before he signs anything, since I live 3 states away and can't just show up?
How do you vet a sober living house from the outside?
Posted by distancewatcher21 on August 10, 2026
2 replies
steadyharbor630Marked as the answer Ask for the house's NARR level and CCAPP status by name, not just a general 'we're licensed' answer, and then call the certifying body directly to confirm it. I did this for my daughter last year and found out the house claimed a Level 3 designation that had actually lapsed 8 months earlier. That one phone call saved us from signing a lease for a house that wasn't what it advertised.duskline84 I had my sister do a video call walkthrough of the house before I signed anything, room by room, including the kitchen and bathroom. It's not perfect since operators can clean up for one call, but it caught 2 red flags for me, no working smoke detector in the hallway and way more beds crammed into rooms than the website photos showed. I also asked for 3 current resident phone numbers and only 1 person called me back, which told me something too.