What Sober Living House Managers Do

A sober living house manager is the person who keeps the house running day to day: they orient new residents, make sure house meetings happen, check that chores and house rules are followed, run safety checks, and are the first call when something goes wrong. They are not a counselor, a doctor or a landlord's collections agent. This guide explains what the role usually covers, what it doesn't, and what residents and families should ask about the manager before move-in.

This is housing information, not medical, treatment or legal advice. Every house sets its own structure, so use this alongside the written agreement you get before you pay anything.

Not Every Home Has a House Manager

Whether there is a house manager at all depends on how the home is run. Ohio Recovery Housing uses the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR) levels of support (ORH levels of recovery housing):

• Level I, peer run: democratically run by residents, with no paid positions in the home. Residents share the duties a manager would otherwise handle. Oxford Houses work this way.
• Level II, monitored: run by a house manager or senior resident, with at least one compensated position. This is the level built around a house manager.
• Level III, supervised: an organizational hierarchy with a facility manager and staff, and more structure such as life-skills work.

So the first question for any home is simple: who runs this house day to day, and is that person a resident, a paid staff member, or the operator?

What a House Manager Usually Does

The Recovery Housing Development Guidebook, published by Ohio Recovery Housing as a supplement to the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) Quality Housing Criteria (Recovery Housing Development Guidebook, PDF), lists what a monitored (Level II) home needs from its identified manager. In plain terms, that person:

1. Orients new residents. Explains the policies, procedures and guidelines before move-in and helps the new person get settled.
2. Checks in daily. Makes sure someone generally knows where residents are during the day, often with a sign-in/sign-out board, a shared calendar or texts.
3. Keeps a regular presence in the home. Watches that the code of conduct is followed, including house chores.
4. Runs regular safety checks. Confirms safety equipment is in place and working, that naloxone is in the home, and that hazards get fixed.
5. Makes sure house meetings happen at least weekly.
6. Meets with residents at least weekly to talk through and document their recovery plans. These are resident-driven goals, not treatment plans.
7. Watches for warning signs and connects a resident to more support when needed.
8. Is available when residents have questions or need support, with someone reachable 24/7 for emergencies.

In practice that looks like a lot of small, steady tasks: walking the house, reminding someone about the bathroom on their chore list, posting the meeting time, replacing a smoke-alarm battery, and asking a new resident how their first job interview went.

What a House Manager Does Not Do

• Provide treatment. The guidebook is direct: recovery housing is not treatment. A good manager connects residents to outside providers; they don't replace them.
• Handle your medication. The same guidebook says recovery home staff should never handle a resident's medication. Homes should give residents a secure place to keep their own medication, and in peer-run and monitored homes residents can keep their own medication logs, checked according to house policy.
• Get involved in personal finances. The guidebook's staff code of conduct says staff should never lend or borrow money with residents.
• Make up rules on the spot. Rules come from the written code of conduct and agreement. If a rule matters to you, it should be on paper.
• End someone's residency outside the agreement and the law. The guidebook says resident agreements must follow Ohio landlord-tenant law, and that operators ending a residency must comply with Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1923. A manager can explain the process; the written terms and the law decide it.

For how house rules themselves work, see our post on common sober living house rules and why they help.

How to Work With Your House Manager

1. Read the agreement with them on day one. Ask them to walk through fees, due dates, guests, curfew, chores and what happens after a rule break. Write down anything that isn't clear.
2. Learn the check-in method. If the house uses a sign-out board or a text check-in, use it every time. It's how the manager knows you're safe.
3. Bring problems early. A leaking sink, a roommate conflict or a missed shift at work is easier to fix on Tuesday than at Friday's house meeting.
4. Use the weekly check-in. Bring your own goals: work hours, meetings, a court date, getting an ID replaced. The manager can help you plan around them.
5. Know the after-hours contact. Save the emergency number in your phone before your first night.

Our guide to the first week of sober living covers the rest of move-in week.

Questions to Ask About the Manager Before Move-In

Questions about the manager tell you how the house really runs day to day:

• Who manages this house day to day? Do they live on site, visit, or manage several houses?
• Is the manager a senior resident, paid staff, or the operator?
• How do residents reach someone at night or on weekends?
• How often are house meetings, and who runs them?
• Is there a weekly one-on-one check-in?
• Is naloxone kept in the home, and who knows how to use it?
• How are grievances or complaints about staff handled, and is that in writing?
• What happens if a resident relapses? Ask for the written policy, not a verbal answer.

For the full pre-move checklist, use 10 questions to ask before choosing a sober living home in Cleveland.

Mistakes Residents and Families Make With House Managers

• Treating the manager as a counselor. If clinical care is still needed, set that up with an outside provider.
• Relying on verbal promises. A manager may be kind and flexible, but the agreement is what counts if there is a disagreement.
• Families going around the resident. Calling the manager for daily updates can undercut an adult resident's privacy and independence. Ask the resident what they're comfortable sharing first. Our post on supporting a loved one in sober living has more on boundaries.
• Skipping the check-in system because it feels like being watched. In a monitored home, that's how the manager knows everyone is accounted for.
• Waiting to report repairs. Maintenance problems get bigger and more expensive when they sit.

Finding Help in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County

For free, confidential referrals to housing and recovery resources in Greater Cleveland, call 2-1-1 or visit United Way 2-1-1 Greater Cleveland. Our guide on how to find sober living in Cuyahoga County walks through the search, and the guidebook notes that homes funded through OhioMHAS or local ADAMHS boards must follow the OhioMHAS Quality Housing Criteria, so you can ask a home whether that applies to it.

Talk With ACC Solutions

ACC Solutions offers group home living in the Cleveland area for people in recovery and for veterans. Our homes are housing; they are not a treatment program, and we don't provide medical or clinical services. If you're comparing homes, ask us on a call who your day-to-day contact would be and how to reach them. Start with sober living group homes in Cleveland, book a call, use our contact form, call (216) 238-5999, or email support@accmgmtsolutions.com.

Written by the ACC Solutions team. House-manager duties summarized from the Recovery Housing Development Guidebook (Ohio Recovery Housing / OhioMHAS) and Ohio Recovery Housing's levels of support; confirm each home's structure and rules in writing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a sober living house manager do?

In a monitored sober living home, the house manager orients new residents, checks in daily, keeps a regular presence so the code of conduct and chores are followed, runs safety checks, makes sure house meetings happen at least weekly, meets with residents about their recovery plans, and connects residents to more support when needed. Ohio's Recovery Housing Development Guidebook lists these duties for Level II homes.

Is a sober living house manager a counselor?

No. Recovery housing is not treatment, and a house manager is not a substitute for a counselor or clinical provider. A manager helps residents connect to outside services; treatment itself happens with those providers.

Do all sober living homes have a house manager?

No. Peer-run (Level I) homes, such as Oxford Houses, are run democratically by residents with no paid positions in the home. Monitored (Level II) homes have a house manager or senior resident, and supervised (Level III) homes have a facility manager and staff.

Does the house manager hold or give out medication?

Ohio's Recovery Housing Development Guidebook says recovery home staff should never handle a resident's medication. Homes should give residents a secure place to store their own medication, and in peer-run and monitored homes residents can keep their own medication logs, checked according to house policy.

Does ACC Solutions provide treatment in its group homes?

No. ACC Solutions offers group home living in the Cleveland area for people in recovery and for veterans. Our homes are housing; they are not a treatment program, and we don't provide medical or clinical services. Call (216) 238-5999 or email support@accmgmtsolutions.com with questions.