Certification gets you referrals. Proof of insurance comes first.

Property, written for the actual use

The house, its contents and the rent lost while a damaged home is empty, on a commercial form that knows residents pay to live there.

Without it — A homeowners policy is written for a family in its own home. A house run as a business on that form is a claim waiting to be declined.

General liability

Injury to residents, visitors and neighbors, and the certificate that certification bodies and landlords ask to see.

Without it — No proof of insurance for certification, and a resident’s fall on the stairs is paid by the operator.

Professional liability

For supervised and clinical houses: house managers making judgment calls, drug testing, discharge decisions and recovery support services.

Without it — General liability excludes professional services, and a Level III or IV house is selling them.

Abuse and molestation

Allegations between residents or against staff, including negligent screening and supervision.

Without it — Excluded from standard general liability, in a setting where residents are often in their most vulnerable months.

Hired and non-owned auto

House managers and staff driving residents to meetings, appointments and work in their own cars.

Without it — The house is named in the suit and the driver’s personal policy defends only the driver.

Workers compensation

Paid house managers and staff, including injuries during a crisis or a confrontation.

Without it — A live-in manager paid in free rent can still be an employee, and the injury claim does not care how the arrangement was described.

Can a sober living home be insured on a homeowners or landlord policy?

Not safely. A homeowners policy covers a family in its own house, and a landlord policy assumes an ordinary tenancy. A house where residents pay by the bed under house rules, with a manager enforcing them, is a business, and a carrier that was not told can deny the claim or void the policy. Commercial coverage written for the use costs more and actually responds.

Does certification require insurance?

In Florida, yes: the certification application must include proof of insurance under section 397.487. The NARR standard used by state affiliates asks for documentation of liability coverage appropriate to the level of support. Neither sets a dollar limit, so the certifying body or your landlord decides the number. In Florida, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts certification is also what allows state-funded and treatment-provider referrals.

Does the level of support change the insurance?

Yes, and the level is the first thing an underwriter will ask. A peer-run or monitored house is mostly a property and liability risk. A supervised house with paid staff and structured programming adds professional liability and workers compensation. A clinical house delivering treatment is a licensed facility and is underwritten as one. Describe what staff actually do, because the policy follows the services.

What will an underwriter want to see?

House rules and how they are enforced, drug testing policy, whether naloxone is kept and staff trained to use it, resident screening, staffing and whether a manager lives on site, the number of beds, and any certification held. A new operator has no history, so the owner’s own recovery-field experience matters. A complete file is the difference between a quote and a decline in this class.

What does a sober living home insurance application ask for?

The applications for sober living home businesses ask about 4 things above all: do you provide foster care services; do you allow co-ed occupancies; do you have a written building evacuation plan that is posted; does your management team have at least three years of prior experience managing a group home for residents with mild disabilities. Have your current smoking policy ready and a quote takes a day instead of a week.