Trust & Safety
We built Village Acres for our own family. That means safety isn't a feature - it's the whole point. Here's exactly how we approach it.
How we vet every Villager
We don't allow self-serve listings. Every Villager on Village Acres goes through a multi-step process before their profile is visible to families.
Step 1 - Checkr Essential Background Check
Every Villager completes a Checkr Essential background check before their profile goes live. Checkr is the gold standard in background screening - the same platform trusted by Uber, Lyft, Instacart, Doordash, Stripe, and over 100,000 businesses worldwide to vet the people entering homes and carrying out sensitive work.
What every check includes
SSN Trace
Verifies identity and locates all associated addresses
County Criminal Search
Last 7 years across every county they've lived in
National Criminal Database
Searches millions of records across all 50 states
Sex Offender Registry
Checked against all 50 state registries
Global Watchlist Search
FBI, OFAC, Interpol, and international sanctions lists
FCRA-Compliant
Legally binding, dispute-protected, privacy-safe
Checkr is trusted by
Village Acres never sees your raw personal data - only a pass/flag result. All screening is conducted by Checkr under FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) protections, which means you have the right to dispute any result. The one-time $54.99 fee goes directly to Checkr for the cost of running the check.
Step 2 - Manual Profile Review
Before any profile goes live, a real person on our team reads it. We check for completeness, consistency, and red flags. Profiles that feel off - vague bios, inconsistent experience claims, anything that raises a concern - don't get approved. We'd rather have fewer Villagers and trust every one of them.
Step 3 - Local-only, by design
We serve Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and Boynton Beach - and that's intentional. A smaller, local community means we can maintain standards that a national platform with millions of listings can't. When we approve a profile, it matters.
How we vet families
Trust goes both ways. Villagers deserve to feel safe too.
Verified email and payment. Every family account is tied to a verified email address and an active Stripe subscription. Anonymous accounts don't exist on this platform.
Real profiles required. Families complete an onboarding profile with their name, zip code, and household details. This isn't optional - it creates accountability on both sides.
Report and remove. Villagers can report any family that makes them uncomfortable. We take every report seriously and remove accounts that violate our standards. Contact us immediately at team@village-acres.com or (561) 320-1626.
Best practices before your first meeting
A background check tells you a lot - but it doesn't tell you everything. These steps help you make a confident, informed decision.
FaceTime or video call first
Before inviting anyone into your home, hop on a quick FaceTime or Zoom call. It takes 10 minutes and tells you a lot - how they communicate, how they present themselves, whether your instincts say yes. If someone pushes back on a video call, that's information worth having.
Schedule a meet-and-greet
Always meet in person - ideally at a coffee shop or another public place - before having someone come to your home. Bring your children if possible. Watch how the Villager interacts with them. Your kids' instincts are often better than ours.
Ask for references
Any experienced Villager will have references and be happy to share them. Ask for 1–2 families they've worked with and actually call - don't just text. A 5-minute phone call with a previous family is worth more than any profile bio.
Trust your gut
Background checks and references are tools, not guarantees. If something feels off after a call or meeting - even if you can't name exactly what - trust that feeling. There are other great Villagers on the platform. You don't owe anyone a second chance when your family's safety is involved.
Our commitment to you
Village Acres is not a passive platform. We don't just list people and walk away. We make a judgment call on every single profile before it goes live - and we stand behind it.
That said, we want to be honest: no vetting process is perfect. Background checks reflect documented history, not future behavior. Manual reviews catch red flags, not every risk. That's why the practices above matter - they're your second layer of protection.
What we promise: we will always act quickly when something is reported, we will never prioritize growth over safety, and we will always be reachable - you're talking to the people who built this, not a support ticket queue.
Report a concern
If something makes you uncomfortable - a message, a profile, a behavior - please tell us immediately. We take every report seriously and respond personally. There is no automated queue. You reach us directly.