Vacation Homes for Good™ Certification Is Open and Welcoming Founding Properties
Vacation homes can welcome travelers thoughtfully, connect guests with local businesses and experiences, and help make sure that some of the value created by tourism finds its way back to the communities that make those stays possible. That idea is at the heart of Vacation Homes For Good.
Now, we're inviting the first vacation home owners to be part of it.
Certification Is Live
The Vacation Homes For Good Directory is live, and the first certified homes are beginning to join. This fall, we'll begin introducing Vacation Homes For Good more broadly to travelers, partners, media, and the vacation rental community. But before we invite travelers to discover these homes, we're offering Founding Property status and recognition to our first certified member properties. When the larger promotion begins, these are the homes travelers will see in the directory.
What We Recognize
Vacation Homes For Good™ recognizes vacation rentals committed to thoughtful hospitality, community-minded hosting, and measurable local impact. Certified homes pledge to operate with care, welcome guests thoughtfully, and contribute at least 1% of annual rental revenue to their local communities.
That commitment rests on three pillars:
Thoughtful Hospitality. Transparent listings, clean homes, genuine care.
Community Alignment. Local recommendations, local sourcing, and the 1% community contribution.
Responsible Stewardship. Responsible practices for the places you operate.
The standard is intentionally straightforward. Maybe you already support a food pantry, land trust, school, trail organization, animal rescue, arts program, or another organization in your community. Maybe you've been giving back quietly for years and never thought to make it part of your property's story. Or maybe you've wanted to do something but weren't sure where to begin. All of those starting points are welcome.
You don't need a complicated impact program or a long history of philanthropy. You choose something that matters in the community your vacation home depends on, commit at least 1% of rental revenue, and follow through. Vacation Homes For Good™ gives that commitment a shared standard, verification, and a way for travelers and communities to recognize it.
Why Now
Vacation rentals have become part of thousands of communities, and many hosts care deeply about the places where they operate. Some are already giving back quietly and consistently, with no real way for guests to see or recognize that commitment.
At the same time, communities are looking more closely at the role vacation rentals play in neighborhoods and local economies. Travelers are seeking stays that feel more connected to the places they visit, and thoughtful hosts are looking for meaningful ways to stand out beyond amenities and price.
We created Vacation Homes For Good™ for all three- communities, guests, and hosts. One vacation home contributing 1% can make a meaningful difference locally. A network of community-minded homes operating with care, welcoming guests thoughtfully, and giving back can begin to change what travelers expect from a vacation rental.
What It Means to Be a Founding Vacation Homes For Good Property
Founding Properties aren't simply the first homes to receive certification. They're the first examples of what Vacation Homes For Good™ can become.
Their hospitality, responsible practices, and community contributions will help tell the story. Their experiences will help us strengthen the certification as it grows. Together, these first properties will demonstrate what community-minded hosting looks like across different destinations.
Founding Property certification includes:
A listing in the Vacation Homes For Good™ Directory during pre-launch
A written profile of your home and community work on our Good Stays™ Stories page
Social features highlighting your property, your community, and the causes you support
The Vacation Homes For Good™ recognition badge, digital certificate with your registration number, and printable wall certificate
A place in the monthly host spotlight rotation and eligibility for annual awards
Access to host resources and toolkits
Permanent Founding Property recognition on your certificate and listing
It also means being able to say that your home was part of Vacation Homes For Good from the start.
Hosts Don't Have to Be Doing Anything Already
Vacation Homes For Good™ isn't intended only for hosts who already have a long list of community initiatives. Some Founding Properties will already meet the 1% Community Contribution Standard when they apply. Others will make the commitment and use their founding year to put it into practice. Both belong here.
We're interested in bringing together hosts who care about how their homes operate, how guests experience the places they visit, and how vacation rentals can contribute positively to their communities. You don't need to have everything figured out before you join.
How Certification Works
Certification begins with a straightforward application and review. You register, share a few materials about your home and community contribution, and we review your application. Once approved, your certification materials are issued. There is no site visit, and certification is reviewed annually.
From there, your home is listed in the Vacation Homes For Good™ Directory, your badge and certificate are yours to use, and your commitment becomes something guests can see and recognize when choosing where to stay.
Vacation Homes For Good™ is a woman-owned, family-owned initiative founded by a community-minded vacation rental host. We're based in New England and operating nationally.
If you believe thoughtful hospitality and giving back to the places we operate should be part of what it means to be a great vacation rental host, we'd like you to join us.
Apply to certify your home as a Founding Property at vacationhomesforgood.com/for-hosts, or email hello@vacationhomesforgood.com if you'd rather talk with us first.