What "Licence checked" Means

[Legal entity name] ("RespiteAway", "we", "us")

Version 1.0

Effective [Effective date]

In short

• The "Licence checked" badge on a listing means one thing. On the date shown, a person on our team checked that the facility's licence shows "Issued" on the public register of the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA).
• It does not mean anything more. We do not inspect facilities, assess their care or check their staff.
• Facilities give us proof of insurance, but we do not check the coverage itself. The badge does not cover insurance.
• If a facility's licence lapses, we pause its listing.
• The RHRA is the regulator. RespiteAway is not part of the RHRA or the Government of Ontario, and we do not use the RHRA's logo.

1. What the badge means

The badge reads "Licence checked" and shows the date of our most recent check. It links to this page.

On that date, a person on our team looked up the facility on the RHRA public register and saw that its retirement home licence had the status "Issued". That is all the badge tells you.

If the RHRA has placed conditions on a home's licence, we review them before we list the home. If we list it, the listing says so and links to the register.

2. How we check

Before a facility can take bookings on RespiteAway:

1. The facility gives us its RHRA licence details.
2. A person on our team looks up the facility on the RHRA public register.
3. We confirm that the licence for the home on the listing shows the status "Issued".
4. We record the date of the check. That date appears on the badge.

A listing cannot take bookings until this check is done.

3. What the badge does not tell you

We do not check:

• Care quality. We do not assess how well a facility looks after people.
• Staff. We do not check staff numbers, training, qualifications, references or criminal records.
• Inspections and complaints. We do not review a facility's inspection reports or complaint history. The RHRA register has each home's record. Look it up before you book.
• The building. We do not visit or inspect premises, safety features, cleanliness or accessibility.
• The care a facility says it can provide. Each facility tells us what care it can offer. We use that to show which facilities may fit the needs you enter. We do not test it. The facility makes its own assessment of each person.
• Prices, photos and descriptions. The facility provides them. Confirm anything important with the facility.
• Room availability. A room is available only when the facility confirms your request.

Insurance. Each facility must give us a current certificate of insurance when it lists with us and when its insurance renews. We collect it, but we do not check the coverage itself. The badge does not cover insurance.

4. Checking again

• We check the register again at least every 90 days.
• We also check again before the licence expiry date the facility gave us, within 2 business days after a facility changes its name, address or licence details, and when we learn of a change to a facility's licence or receive a concern about a listing.
• Each new check updates the date on the badge.

5. When a licence lapses

If the register no longer shows the licence as "Issued", or the licence expires without renewal, we pause the listing.

• A paused listing does not appear in search, and it cannot receive or accept requests.
• A person on our team contacts every family with a confirmed upcoming stay at that facility within one business day. We tell them the listing is paused and help them decide what to do.
• The listing returns only after a new check shows the licence as "Issued".

6. The regulator

The Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority licenses and inspects retirement homes in Ontario. Its public register shows each home's licence status and its record.

• Public register (the Retirement Home Database): rhra.ca/en/retirement-home-database
• Phone: 1-855-275-7472, or 416-440-3570
• Email: info@rhra.ca

RespiteAway is a private company. We are not part of the RHRA or the Government of Ontario, and they have not approved or endorsed RespiteAway. We do not use the RHRA's logo.

7. Which facilities you can book

Every facility you can book on RespiteAway is in Ontario and holds a retirement home licence from the RHRA.

We do not take bookings for long-term care homes. Respite stays in long-term care are arranged through Ontario Health atHome: call 310-2222 (no area code needed) or 1-833-515-1234.

8. Before a stay

• Look up the home on the RHRA register.
• Call the facility. Ask how it will assess the person you are booking for, which staff are on each shift, and how it handles medications.
• Ask the facility for its written agreement and information package before the stay. Licensed retirement homes must provide them.
• Before you pay a deposit or any amount, call the facility at the phone number on its RHRA record to confirm the payment request is real. RespiteAway never asks families for payment.

9. Report a concern about a listing

Tell us if a listing looks wrong. For example: the home is not licensed, its details do not match the register, someone seems to be pretending to be the home, or you were asked to pay in an unusual way.

• Email support@respiteaway.com.
• A person on our team looks at every report within one business day. We may pause the listing while we check.
• If your concern is about harm to a person, see our Safety and Safeguarding page. In an emergency, call 911.

10. Why the badge is narrow

Families rely on a badge like this when they choose care for someone vulnerable. A badge that suggests more checking than was done would mislead them. So we say what we checked, when we checked it, and what we did not check. If we ever check more, we will say so on this page first and update the badge.

11. Contact

• Questions about a listing or this page: support@respiteaway.com, answered every day from 8:00 to 22:00 Eastern time, not overnight
• General questions: hello@respiteaway.com
• Emergencies: call 911
• By mail: [Legal entity name], [Business address]