Our purpose
The Homeowner Guide exists to help new US homeowners understand property taxes, insurance, maintenance, HOAs, home warranties and the costs of upkeep. Our job is to be accurate, clear and useful, and to be honest about what a general guide can and cannot tell you about your own home. This policy explains the standards we hold ourselves to.
Independence
Our editorial decisions are made by the editorial team alone. We choose topics based on what homeowners need to know, not on what anyone would pay us to cover.
- We do not accept paid placement, sponsored articles disguised as editorial content, or payment to change, remove or soften what we write.
- The site currently has no advertising and no affiliate links.
- If we ever add affiliate or partner links or ads, they will be clearly labelled, marked with
rel="sponsored", and kept separate from our conclusions. Our advertising disclosure will be updated before any such link appears.
Who writes and reviews
Articles are published under the byline “The Homeowner Guide Editorial Team.” We do not have named individual writers yet, and we will not invent names, biographies or credentials. When named writers or licensed reviewers join, their real names and verifiable credentials will be shown on their author pages, and articles they review will say so.
Sourcing standards
We rely on primary sources first: federal agencies (such as the IRS, FEMA, CFPB, FTC, HUD, CPSC and USFA), state revenue and insurance departments, county assessor websites, the NAIC, and standards bodies such as NFPA and ICC. Secondary sources are used for context, not as the sole basis for a factual claim when a primary source exists.
- Every factual claim is cited with a link and the date we accessed the source.
- Numbers, such as tax-year limits, program thresholds or deadlines, are checked against the source on the day the article is published or updated.
- State and county differences are called out. We do not present one jurisdiction’s rules as national rules.
- Examples with dollar amounts or scenarios are labelled as hypothetical.
The full process is described on our methodology page.
Use of AI tools
We are open about this: AI tools may help us draft text and translate articles into Spanish and Simplified Chinese. They do not decide what is true. Every article, in every language, is fact-checked against its cited sources and reviewed by the editorial team before it is published. We do not publish AI-generated text that has not been through that review, and we do not use AI to invent quotes, experts, statistics or reviews.
Accuracy and dates
Each article displays three dates:
- Published: when it first went live.
- Last updated: the most recent change to its content.
- Reviewed: the most recent date the editorial team checked it against its sources.
We review every article at least once a year, and sooner when laws or programs change, for example when new tax-year figures are released or NFIP rules are revised. Figures in an article are accurate as of the date shown; always confirm current numbers with the official source.
Corrections
When we get something wrong, we fix it and say so. Significant corrections are noted at the bottom of the article with the date. We do not silently change facts. See our corrections policy for how to report an error.
Safety and limits of our advice
Our content is educational, not legal, tax, insurance, financial or engineering advice. For maintenance topics involving gas, electrical work, roofs or ladders, we say clearly when a job should go to a licensed professional. Where a decision depends on your specific policy, property or jurisdiction, we point you to the right person to ask. Our disclaimer has more detail.
Fairness and language
We write in plain language, define terms when they first appear, and avoid scare tactics or pressure to buy anything. Translations are written to read naturally in each language, not word for word, and are held to the same sourcing standard as the English original.
Contact the editorial team
Email [email protected] or use the contact form. We aim to reply within 3 business days.
Frequently asked questions
Can companies pay to be featured in your guides?
No. We do not accept paid placement. The site currently has no advertising and no affiliate links, and any future commercial links will be labelled and will not change our conclusions.
How do you use AI tools?
AI tools may help with drafting and translation. Every article is fact-checked against its sources and reviewed by the editorial team before publishing. AI output is never published without that review.
What do the dates on an article mean?
Published is when the article first went live, last updated is the most recent change to its content, and reviewed is the most recent date the editorial team checked it against its sources.
How often are articles reviewed?
At least once a year, and sooner when a relevant law, tax-year figure or program such as the NFIP changes.
Who reviews the articles?
The Homeowner Guide Editorial Team. When named writers or licensed reviewers join, their names and credentials will appear on their author pages and on the articles they review.
What should I do if I find a mistake?
Email [email protected] or use the contact form with the page URL and a description of the issue. Our corrections page explains what happens next.
Contact: /contact/