Partner Vetting Policy
Last updated: April 2026
The Dwelling Index earns revenue through affiliate partnerships with financing companies, prefab ADU manufacturers, and related service providers. When readers use some of our links to request information, compare options, or explore services, we may earn a referral commission at no extra cost to the reader.
Because readers may rely on us to connect them with credible companies, we apply a vetting process before featuring affiliate partners and periodically re-evaluate active partnerships over time. This page explains that process, its limits, and how it relates to our editorial independence.
What We Evaluate
Before featuring a company as an affiliate partner, we may review the following where publicly available and relevant to the service being offered:
Licensing and registration
Whether the company appears appropriately licensed, registered, or authorized for the services it provides in the jurisdictions or service areas it claims to serve.
Pricing transparency
Whether the company publishes clear pricing, starting prices, pricing methodology, or at minimum provides reasonably accessible pricing information without obviously misleading fee presentation.
Service-area clarity
Whether the company clearly discloses where it operates and whether its stated service areas appear consistent across its website, marketing materials, or public-facing profiles.
Public complaint history
Whether there are visible patterns in public complaint records, Better Business Bureau listings, state licensing-board records, or other public review sources that may be relevant to reader trust.
Business track record
Whether the company appears to have a verifiable operating history, identifiable business presence, and evidence of real project activity, service delivery, or closed transactions where applicable.
Terms, policies, and consumer-facing disclosures
Whether the company's terms of service, cancellation terms, refund policies, warranty language, or other important customer-facing policies are reasonably accessible and not unusually difficult to locate.
Website and claims quality
Whether key claims on the company's site appear specific, internally consistent, and supportable through public-facing documentation rather than vague or purely promotional language.
Responsiveness and factual verification
Where appropriate, we may contact a company to verify factual details such as pricing structure, service area, timelines, or product availability before featuring it.
What We Do Not Verify
Our vetting process is a good-faith editorial review, not a guarantee.
We do not and cannot verify:
- Individual customer outcomes after a referral
- Long-term service quality or warranty performance
- Every internal business practice not reflected in public records
- The accuracy of every statement on a partner's website at all times
- Future pricing, service availability, approval outcomes, or project timelines
- Whether a company is the best fit for a particular reader's needs
We are not a licensing authority, regulator, consumer-protection agency, lender, broker, contractor, or legal advisor. Readers should still conduct their own due diligence before entering into any agreement.
How Often We Re-Evaluate Partners
Affiliate partners are not reviewed once and then ignored.
We may re-evaluate active partners periodically and also when a material reason for review arises, such as:
- A significant change in public complaint patterns
- A licensing or regulatory concern
- A major pricing or service-area change
- Material inconsistency between public claims and verified information
- Credible reports from readers or other public sources
If a company no longer meets our standards, we may revise how it is featured, suspend affiliate placement, or remove the partnership.
What Vetting Does Not Mean
A company passing our vetting process does not mean:
- It is endorsed for every reader or situation
- It will be ranked first in editorial comparisons
- It is guaranteed to provide the best price, service, or experience
- It has been approved by a regulator or consumer-protection authority
- Every future customer interaction will be satisfactory
Vetting is meant to reduce obvious trust risks, not eliminate all risk.
How Vetting Relates to Editorial Content
Partner vetting is separate from editorial content decisions.
A company being an affiliate partner does not:
- Guarantee that it will be included in editorial comparisons
- Guarantee that it will rank highly in our guides
- Influence the editorial criteria used to evaluate companies
- Give the company editorial control, advance review rights, or approval authority over our content
Companies featured in editorial guides are evaluated under our editorial standards and research methodology. Affiliate relationships may support our operations, but they do not determine our rankings or conclusions.
Why We May Decline or Remove a Partner
We may choose not to feature, or may later remove, a company for reasons including:
- Unresolved licensing or registration concerns
- Misleading pricing or unclear fee disclosures
- Inconsistent or unverifiable service-area claims
- Problematic complaint patterns or credibility concerns
- Inability to verify key factual details
- Refusal to correct materially misleading public information
- Business practices we believe create avoidable risk for readers
We are not required to maintain or continue a partnership solely because a company offers an affiliate relationship.
Reader Responsibility and Due Diligence
Even when a company is featured on The Dwelling Index, readers should still verify the details that matter most to their own situation.
Depending on the service, that may include:
- Confirming licensing status directly with the relevant authority
- Requesting written pricing or fee information
- Reviewing contracts, cancellation terms, and warranty terms
- Confirming actual service availability in the reader's location
- Comparing multiple providers before making a decision
Our role is to reduce friction and improve transparency, not to replace the reader’s own due diligence.
Reporting a Concern
If you have concerns about a company featured on The Dwelling Index — including possible licensing issues, deceptive claims, materially inaccurate information, or troubling customer-facing practices — contact us at editorial@dwellingindex.com.
We review credible reports and may update, limit, or remove partnerships when warranted.
Contact
Questions about this policy: editorial@dwellingindex.com
To report a concern about a featured company: editorial@dwellingindex.com