The sober living house manager: job description, pay and training

The role by NARR level

How much the house manager does depends on the home's level of support (NARR levels of support):

Level	Who manages the house
Level I: peer-run	No paid manager. Residents elect officers who run meetings, track fees and enforce the rules together.
Level II: monitored	A house manager or senior resident, often live-in, often paid by stipend or rent credit. This guide is mostly about this role.
Level III: supervised	Paid staff with an organizational structure, plus life-skills and case-management work.
Level IV: service provider	Credentialed staff within a licensed provider.

The NARR standard that certifiers use also expects staff to be trained in the social model of recovery (NARR Standard 3.0), so the manager's training records are part of your certification file. In Texas, see our TROHN certification guide.

Job description

Our template's summary: "The house manager keeps the home safe, sober, clean and fair. They know every resident, apply the house rules the same way for everyone, and connect residents with the help they need." Reports to: the owner. Status: full-time or part-time, live-in or not, as the owner sets. Duties:

• Welcome new residents, walk them through the house rules and resident agreement, and show them where naloxone is kept.
• Apply the house rules consistently, and record warnings, contracts and decisions in the house log.
• Collect drug and breath tests as trained, keep results private, and follow the drug screening policy (see our drug testing policy guide).
• Lead the weekly house meeting and keep the chore chart.
• Check curfew and do room inspections as the rules set.
• Respond to emergencies: give naloxone, call 911, and report every incident to the owner the same day.
• Carry out the relapse and safe-discharge policy, step by step.
• Record fee payments and give a receipt every time; never handle cash without a receipt.
• Report repairs, keep up the property and walk the safety checklist monthly.
• Be the neighbors' contact under the good-neighbor policy.
• Keep a list of local meetings, treatment programs, crisis lines and services.

Physical requirements in the template: climb stairs, lift up to 30 pounds, do light maintenance, and respond quickly to emergencies at any hour while on duty, with reasonable accommodations available on request.

Boundaries

Put these in the job description and the manager's signed acknowledgment:

• No romantic or financial relationship with any resident, and no lending or borrowing money.
• Never accept or offer anything of value for referring a resident to or from a treatment program, lab or other home. EKRA makes paying or receiving anything of value for referrals to a recovery home a federal crime, for any payer (18 U.S.C. 220), and that includes a manager pocketing a "finder's fee."
• No steering: residents choose their own treatment, doctor and meetings.
• Privacy: nothing about a resident (test results, history, whereabouts) goes to family, employers or programs without the resident's written consent, except in an emergency.
• Fair treatment: the same rules for every resident; reasonable accommodation requests go to the owner and are logged.

Hiring: qualifications and checks

• Sustained recovery of a length you set (for example, one to two years) if the manager is in recovery. Many good managers are former residents, but promote someone because they're fair and steady, not because they've been there longest.
• Experience living or working in a recovery residence preferred.
• Temperament: calm, fair and firm; able to handle conflict without escalating it.
• A valid driver's license if the role includes driving, and the right auto coverage (see insurance).
• Background checks as your state and your written policy require, applied the same way to every candidate. If the house has any tie to federally funded services, also check the HHS-OIG exclusion list.

Training before day one

Training	When	Proof to keep
House rules, resident agreement, relapse and safe-discharge policy	Before the first shift	Signed acknowledgment
Drug testing procedure: collection, observed collection, cup instructions, chain of custody, recording results	Before collecting alone	Competency check, then yearly
Overdose response and naloxone	Before the first shift	Training record
CPR and first aid	Within 30 days	Certificate
De-escalation and when to call 911	Before the first shift	Training record
Fair housing, reasonable accommodation and privacy	Before the first shift	Training record
Fees and receipts, the house log, incident reports	Before the first shift	Sample entries reviewed by the owner
Emergency plan: fire exits, evacuation, severe weather, who to call	Before the first shift, then with each drill	Drill log

Comply's fire drill guide explains what to record so a drill counts.

Paying a house manager

Option	How it works	Watch out for
Hourly or salary (W-2)	A regular employee on payroll	Overtime for non-exempt employees; on-call and overnight hours may count as work time
Stipend	A fixed monthly amount (our planning model's example uses $800 a month)	A "stipend" for an employee is still wages: it must meet minimum wage for hours worked, with payroll taxes
Rent credit	A live-in manager pays reduced or no rent	Whether and how lodging counts toward wages has specific federal rules; have counsel set it up
Contractor (1099)	Paid per agreement, no payroll	A manager who works your schedule under your rules is usually an employee; misclassification brings back taxes and penalties

• Employee or contractor? Decide with your CPA, using the IRS's guidance on independent contractor or employee. Minimum wage and overtime come from the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and any state law.
• In Texas, before the first paycheck: set up payroll, register a Texas unemployment tax account with the Texas Workforce Commission and file quarterly wage reports, and decide on workers' compensation. It's optional for most Texas private employers, but if you don't carry it you must notify the Division of Workers' Compensation at the Texas Department of Insurance and your employees.
• Plan staffing with the budget: deciding the manager's role, hours and pay is part of the house model and budget in our Recovery Residence Launch.
• Budget it: in our example budget, the manager is the second-largest monthly cost after the lease. See how it moves your break-even in our sober living startup cost guide.

The daily, weekly and monthly routine

How often	What the house manager does
Daily	Curfew check; house log entries; respond to residents' questions and problems; check the naloxone is where it should be
Weekly	House meeting with minutes; chore chart; room inspections; random tests on the schedule; record and receipt fees; report to the owner
Monthly	Walk the house: alarms, extinguishers, naloxone dates, exits, cleanliness, repairs and resident files; write down what was found and fixed. Reconcile fees and balances with the owner.
On schedule	Fire drills and emergency drills; refresher training; certification renewal records
Every incident	Report to the owner the same day; follow the relapse policy step by step; document it

Interview questions

• "A resident comes home at 1:00 AM, clearly intoxicated. Walk me through the next hour." (Listen for safety first, 911 if in doubt, no one put out at night, a conversation when sober.)
• "Your closest friend in the house misses curfew for the third time. What do you do?" (The same ladder for everyone.)
• "A resident asks to keep their Suboxone in their room." (Prescribed medications are allowed; locked box; medication list.)
• "A local IOP offers you $200 for every resident you send them." (A clear no, and tell the owner.)
• "A neighbor calls about parking for the second time this week." (Listen, fix it, log it.)

Our Recovery Residence Launch includes 60 days of support after opening, so your manager has someone to ask in the first weeks. Or book a free 30-minute call. Opening your first house? Read how to start a sober living home and how to write house rules.

Questions

What does a sober living house manager do?

They run the house day to day: welcome residents, apply the rules the same way for everyone, collect drug tests, lead the weekly house meeting, keep the chore chart, record fees with receipts, respond to emergencies with naloxone and 911, carry out the relapse policy, walk the safety checklist monthly and handle neighbors' concerns.

How much do sober living house managers make?

It varies by market, hours and whether the role is live-in. Some homes pay an hourly wage or salary, others a stipend (our planning model's example is $800 a month) or a rent credit. Whatever the form, an employee's pay must meet minimum wage and overtime law for the hours worked.

Can a resident be the house manager?

Yes, often a senior resident with sustained recovery. Write the role, pay and boundaries down, train them like any manager, and make sure the rules apply to them too.

Does a house manager need certification?

There's usually no license for the role, but train them in CPR, first aid and naloxone within 30 days and in your policies before the first shift, and keep the records; certifiers look for staff training. In Texas, TROHN's process also includes training for the operator.

Should a house manager be an employee or a contractor?

A manager who works your schedule under your rules is usually an employee. Decide with your CPA using the IRS guidance, and if they're an employee, set up payroll and, in Texas, a TWC account and a workers' compensation decision before they start.

Sources

• National Alliance for Recovery Residences, Levels of support and NARR Standard 3.0
• U.S. Department of Labor, Fair Labor Standards Act; IRS, Independent contractor or employee
• Texas Workforce Commission; Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation
• HHS Office of Inspector General, Exclusion list; 18 U.S.C. 220 (EKRA)
• Cima Consulting templates: Job Description: House Manager; planning model (example stipend)

Cima Consulting isn't a law firm or an accounting firm. Have your CPA and attorney set up pay and employment terms.