California RCFE Finder, home

Care home terms

Last updated November 3, 2026

These terms apply to care homes (“you”) that claim a listing on California RCFE Finder or buy a website from RCFE Directory (“we”). They add to our terms of use. By claiming a listing, signing in to the portal, or paying for a plan, you agree to them.

1. Who can claim a listing

Only the licensee, the administrator, or staff the licensee has authorized may claim and manage a home's listing. We verify claims with the people on the state record and may decline or remove access we can't verify.

2. Your listing and website

  • State records (license status, capacity, licensee, inspections, and citations) stay as the California Department of Social Services publishes them. We can't hide or change them for you. To correct a state record, contact your licensing office.
  • You're responsible for everything you add: descriptions, services, prices, openings, photos, phone numbers, and the administrator you list. Keep it accurate and current.
  • You give us permission to show your content on your listing, your website, and in search and directory results while your account is active.
  • We may edit or remove content that is inaccurate, unlawful, or breaks these terms, and we'll tell you when we do.

3. Advertising rules you must follow

Your listing and website are advertising for a licensed residential care facility for the elderly. You're responsible for following state and federal advertising rules, including:

  • License number. California requires your facility license number in all advertising, including online and in directories (Health and Safety Code 1569.681; Title 22, section 87206). Your listing and every page of your website show it. Include it in any other ads you run, and list each home's number if one ad covers several homes.
  • Dementia care. Only advertise memory care or special dementia care if your home meets Title 22, section 87706: describe the program in your plan of operation, give families a written description before admission, and keep copies of every dementia ad, including your website and listing, for at least three years. To stop advertising it, give the state and your residents 30 days' written notice, then remove the claims everywhere, including here. Your portal history shows when you changed these details, but keep your own copies.
  • Hospice. Only mention hospice if your home holds a hospice waiver (Title 22, section 87632), and say that residents receive hospice care from a licensed hospice agency; your home doesn't provide it.
  • Services within your license. Don't make false or misleading statements about your home or its services (Title 22, section 87207; Business and Professions Code 17500). Don't claim nursing, skilled nursing, or medical care, and don't claim awake staff all night unless that's always true.
  • Honest prices and openings. Prices and availability must reflect what you actually offer.
  • Real reviews only. Don't post fake or bought reviews or testimonials, pay for reviews that must be positive, or present staff or owners as independent reviewers (FTC rule, 16 CFR Part 465). Don't caption stock photos as your residents.
  • Fair housing. Don't state or picture a preference for or against anyone because of race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, familial status, source of income, disability, veteran or military status, genetic information, or any other protected trait (federal Fair Housing Act; California Government Code 12955). Describe your home, care, and services, not who should live there. The portal flags common problem phrases when you save, but you're responsible for your wording.
  • Residents' privacy. Only use a resident's photo, name, or likeness with their signed permission for that use, or their legal representative's (Civil Code 3344; residents' personal rights in Title 22). Never post health information about anyone.
  • Photos you own or bought. Only upload photos you took, own, or bought a license that covers use on your website and listing. Don't copy photos from other websites, Google Images, or stock sites unless your license allows it. The same goes for text and for anything you send us to put on your website. You confirm this each time you upload, and you're responsible if a photo or text you provided turns out to belong to someone else.

We can't give legal advice. If you're unsure whether a claim is allowed, check with your licensing office or a lawyer before you publish it.

4. Messages from families

Families who message you through your listing or website have agreed to be contacted about their request. Use their details only to respond to them, keep them secure, and don't sell or share them. Follow the rules for calls, texts, and email, including stopping when someone asks you to.

5. Website plans and billing

  • What you're paying for. Your website and the online visibility that comes with it. We aren't a placement or referral agency: we never send, refer, or recommend residents to your home, and we don't charge referral fees.
  • What's included. Design and setup of your website, hosting, security updates, and changes you make through the portal. A custom domain is optional; you register and own it.
  • Prices. Your setup fee and monthly fee are shown before you pay. Payments are processed by Stripe and renew monthly until you cancel. We'll give you at least 30 days' notice before changing your monthly price.
  • Position in results. While your plan is active, your listing moves up in search and area results together with other website clients, in a random order that changes daily, and is marked “Paid listing” as the law requires. It never changes your state records, and we may change how results are ordered.
  • Missed payments. If a payment fails and isn't resolved after Stripe's retries, your plan is canceled and your website is paused until you restart it.
  • Cancelling. You can cancel any time by emailing contact@rcfedirectory.com. Your website stays up until the end of the period you've paid for.
  • Refunds. The setup fee covers work we start right away and isn't refundable once we've begun. Monthly fees aren't refunded for partial months.
  • Your content. Your text, photos, and domain stay yours. If you leave, we'll send you a copy of your text and photos on request. The website design and software stay ours.

6. Responsibility for claims

You agree to cover our reasonable costs, including legal fees, if a claim is brought against us because of content you provided or how you run your home or respond to families. Our limits on liability in the terms of use apply, except that for paid plans our total liability is limited to what you paid us in the 12 months before the claim.

7. Ending access

We may suspend or end your access if you break these terms, if your license is closed or revoked, or if we can't verify your authority. Your listing then shows only state records.

8. Changes

We may update these terms. For changes that affect paid plans, we'll email you at least 30 days before they take effect.

9. Notice for California customers

You can reach the California Department of Consumer Affairs, Consumer Information Center, at 1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N 112, Sacramento, CA 95834, or (800) 952-5210 (TTY 711).

10. Contact

Questions? Contact us.