Ottawa · Online marketplace for home care

Choose the person who comes into your home.

Balay-a is an online marketplace that connects Ottawa families directly with independent care providers, companions, housekeepers, and personal support workers. You choose who you welcome in. They set their own rates and keep almost everything they earn, significantly more than agency work typically pays.

Balay means home.The “a” stands for alaga, care.

Support built around real life

Three launch services, each delivered by an independent provider you choose yourself.

Companion Care

Conversation, companionship, and a trusted presence, for older adults and for family caregivers who need time to recharge.

Housekeeping

Cleaning, laundry, meal preparation, and practical help that makes home easier to live in.

PSW / Personal Support

Personal care, mobility assistance, and help with activities of daily living, delivered with dignity.

The story in our name

Why we chose the name Balay-a.

Balay-a started with a simple frustration: agencies charge families too much while the people doing the caring are paid too little, and families get whoever the dispatcher sends. We built the opposite. A marketplace where families choose exactly who they welcome in, and where providers set their own rates, control their own time, and keep almost everything they earn.

The name comes from home. Balay (bah-LAI) is the Hiligaynon word for home, the language of Panay Island in the Philippines, where our family's roots are in Antique. The "a" stands for alaga, the Filipino word for care. Home and care, in one word.

It says exactly what we're building: a home for care work done right. Where family gathers, where elders are surrounded by familiar routines, and where everyday care matters.

Who's behind Balay-a

Built by people who have done the care work.

Balay-a was created by people who have worked in the health care industry for the last 12 years, most of it alongside older adults and their families. We have seen what good care looks like, and we have seen how hard the system makes it to find. So we built the marketplace we wished existed: families choose who they welcome in, providers are treated fairly, and safety is written in plain language.

01

Choice, not random assignment

Families compare the fit and choose who they feel comfortable welcoming in, never a stranger assigned by a dispatcher.

02

Work on fairer terms

Providers set their own rates and keep almost everything they earn, significantly more than agency work typically pays. When care work is fairly valued, it shows up in the care.

03

Safety you can understand

Our verification process is written in plain language: ID, record checks, insurance, CPR. We are completing it with our first providers right now, so families know exactly what stands behind every profile.

One marketplace, two sides winning

Balay-a isn't an agency. It's an online marketplace, and the model is designed to be fair to everyone in it.

For families

Care chosen by you

You see one clear price, the provider's own rate, with no surcharge added on top. You read profiles, match on language and fit, and choose the person who comes into your home.

Send your request, choose your provider, and rebook the ones your family trusts.

For providers

Your work, your rate

You set your own hourly rate. You keep almost everything you earn. Card processing is absorbed inside Balay-a's share, never charged to you. Tips go 100% to you. The exact platform share is set out in the Provider Services Agreement.

You're an independent business: your hours, your clients, your reputation.

Founding families

Be one of our first ten families.

We're waiving our platform fee entirely for our first ten families, so your provider keeps 100% of every booking. In return, we ask for honest reviews and referrals that help Balay-a grow.

Limited to the first ten families. One per household.

100%

goes to your provider on every founding-family booking.

Ready when you are.

Browse providers, choose who your family likes, then send your request. Every booking is handled personally by our team.

How it works

From request to trusted regular, in four steps.

No call centres, no random assignments. You stay in control from the first message to the tenth booking.

For families

The family journey

Every booking follows the same simple path, and every step keeps the choice with you.

Browse providers

Look through provider profiles: photo, rate, languages, experience. No sign-up, no details needed, just look.

You choose

Tap Choose on the person your family feels comfortable welcoming in. Never a stranger assigned to you.

Tell us the details

The service, the schedule, the language your family prefers, English, French, Tagalog, or another. Your email app opens with everything prefilled, and a real person reads every request.

We confirm it personally

Send your request and we will confirm every detail with you directly, including payment at the provider's own rate. One price, no surcharge. Found someone wonderful? Rebook them next time.

For providers

You set your rate. You keep almost everything.

Balay-a providers are independent businesses, not employees, not agency staff. You run your work your way, and the marketplace handles the rest.

Set your own rate

Suggested bands guide you; the number is yours.

Keep almost everything you earn

Card processing is inside our share, never charged to you.

Tips are 100% yours

Every tip goes to you in full, always.

Services & pricing

Three services. One clear price.

Every provider sets their own hourly rate. The price you see is the price you pay. No surcharge added, ever.

Companion Care

  • Conversation and companionship
  • Social outings and light engagement
  • Meal preparation and light kitchen clean-up
  • Medication reminders (never administering medication)
  • Respite time for family caregivers

Housekeeping

  • Kitchen and bathroom cleaning
  • Dusting, vacuuming, and floor care
  • Laundry, linens, and light organization
  • Meal preparation
  • Household errands by arrangement

PSW / Personal Support

  • Personal care: bathing, grooming, dressing
  • Mobility, transfers, and positioning support
  • Toileting and continence support
  • Meal assistance and hydration reminders
  • Routine observation and family updates

Your language, your choice

  • Tell us what language your provider should speak
  • English, French, Tagalog, and other languages
  • Providers who speak your exact language are shown first
  • Providers list only languages they can truly care in

Providers set their own rates

Suggested bands below are starting points only, never caps. Hourly bookings have a 2-hour minimum.

Experience bandSuggested hourly rate
Starter
0–9 completed bookings		$20–27/hr
Proven
10+ bookings · 4.7★+ · low cancellations		$28–38/hr
Trusted Pro
20+ bookings · quality bar held		Open pricing
Rate increases apply to new bookings only. Existing clients keep their rate for 30 days. The rate a provider posts is the rate you pay.
One price, no surprises

The price you see is the price you pay.

Balay-a's marketplace share comes out of the provider's posted rate. Card processing is absorbed inside it, so nothing is ever added to your bill.

Your provider keeps almost everything they earn, significantly more than agency work typically pays. Tips go 100% to your provider. Balay-a takes $0.

Cancelling is simple

Fair cancellation, in plain words.

Cancel 4 or more hours ahead: free. No charge, no questions.

Cancel under 4 hours: the first 2 hours are charged at your provider's posted rate. Providers are never charged cancellation fees.

Trust & safety

Careful by design.

Safety isn't a badge on our site. It's a set of rules we're building into how Balay-a works, written in plain language.

Our verification process

Checks you can understand.

We are completing verification with our first providers now. Before a profile goes fully live, it requires:

  • Government-issued photo ID: we confirm the person is who they say they are.
  • Vulnerable-sector check: the police record check designed for people working with vulnerable adults.
  • $1M liability insurance: every provider must hold at least $1M in commercial general liability coverage; personal-care providers also carry professional liability. Proof is required before the first booking, and fresh proof is due 30 days before any policy lapses.
  • CPR / first aid: current certification required before the first booking.
  • Credentials re-verified every 12 months: checks don't expire quietly. If anything lapses, the profile pauses until it's renewed.

House rules that protect everyone

These rules apply to every booking, every provider, every time.

No substitutes, ever

Your family chose a specific person. Providers can't send someone else in their place. If your provider can't make it, you choose the replacement from available providers.

A 16-hour safety cap

No provider works more than 16 platform hours in any 24-hour period. Tired caregivers aren't safe caregivers. The platform simply won't facilitate bookings past the cap.

Providers never drive clients

Providers do not transport clients in their vehicles, ever. They can accompany a client as companionship, meeting at the appointment or riding in the family's vehicle.

If something goes wrong

Every concern gets an answer.

Something felt off? A booking went wrong? Tell us. Every concern is triaged, decided within 7 days, with written reasons. If you disagree with the decision, you have 14 days to appeal.

No concern disappears into an inbox. You'll always know where things stand.

Book now

Request your booking.

Start by browsing providers and choosing the person your family likes. Then add your details and send. Every request is handled personally by a real human on our team.

How this works:1. Browse providers and tap Choose. Looking is free, no details needed. 2. Fill in your booking details. 3. Send, your email app opens with everything prefilled. Questions or feedback? Call (613) 366-9186.
Services needed (select all that apply)

Questions or feedback? Call (613) 366-9186. We can help with the site, but choosing your provider is always up to you.

For providers

Become a Balay-a provider.

You're an independent business, not a job applicant. Tell us about your work and we'll walk you through verification personally. Every application is read by a real human.

Set your own rate

Suggested bands guide you; the number is yours.

Keep almost everything you earn

Card processing is inside our share, never charged to you.

Verified before you're visible

ID, record check, insurance, and CPR come before your first booking.

Getting verified

What you'll need, and how to get it.

Four items, all obtainable in Ottawa. Budget roughly $700 for your first year. We walk you through each step personally.

1. Government photo ID

Driver's licence, passport, or Ontario photo card. You already have this one.

Cost: $0

2. Vulnerable sector check

Apply online through the Ottawa Police Service. Takes 5 to 10 business days, so apply early. Attach our request letter so they can see the role qualifies.

About $74 · Apply at ottawapolice.ca → · Download our VSC request letter →

3. Liability insurance

$1M commercial general liability for everyone, plus professional liability if you offer personal care. Get a quote online in about 5 minutes, or use any licensed broker.

Typically $400–$1,500/year · Example: Zensurance caregiver insurance →

4. CPR / First Aid

Standard First Aid with CPR Level C. One day in Ottawa, valid for 3 years. St. John Ambulance, Red Cross, and local trainers all run it. On a budget? Heart and Stroke offers CPR/AED Level C for about $85 through their training portal (cpr.heartandstroke.ca).

About $125–$185 (about $85 at Heart and Stroke) · Example: National Capital First Aid →

Prices are typical Ottawa ranges, not quotes. Insurance and first aid are provider-paid. Balay-a never marks them up or takes a cut.

Tax note: you join as an independent contractor, not an employee. Your insurance premiums, first aid training, and record check fee are business expenses, so they may be tax-deductible against your Balay-a income. Confirm with your accountant. This is general information, not tax advice.

How this works:Nothing is submitted automatically. When you press “Send application,” your email app opens addressed to us with your details filled in. Attach your photo and documents, then review and send. Prefer to talk? Call (613) 366-9186.
Services you offer (select all that apply)
Certifications (select all that apply)

This is only used to review your application. We never share it, and verification details stay between you and us.

When your email app opens, please attach: your profile photo, CPR/First Aid certificate, liability insurance certificate, and vulnerable sector check. Then press send.

Available providers

Choose who you welcome in.

Browse providers, then tap Choose on the person your family likes.

Sample profiles. Our first verified Ottawa providers are joining now. These examples show what a Balay-a profile looks like, photo, rate, languages, and experience, so you can see exactly how choosing works.
FAQ

Fair questions, straight answers.

Everything below reflects how Balay-a actually works, no fine print, no hedging.

Is Balay-a an agency?

No. Balay-a is an online marketplace. Think of it like a matchmaker, not an employer. Every provider on Balay-a is an independent business: they set their own rates, choose their own hours, and decide which bookings to accept. We're not a staffing business, a recruiter, or a healthcare provider.

Who sets the price?

The provider does. Each provider posts their own hourly rate. You see one price, with no surcharge added. We publish suggested bands (Starter $20–27/hr, Proven $28–38/hr, Trusted Pro open pricing) as guidance only; they're never caps. The rate a provider posts is the rate you pay.

How does payment work?

Right now every booking is arranged personally by our team, and we confirm payment details with you directly. The price you see is the provider's own rate, no surcharge ever. Card processing is absorbed inside Balay-a's share, so nothing is ever added to your bill. Your provider keeps almost everything they earn, and tips go 100% to your provider. Secure payment through the platform is coming soon.

What if my provider cancels?

Providers can never send a substitute. Your family chose a specific person. If your provider can't make it, they tell us immediately and you choose the replacement from available providers. Providers who cancel inside 48 hours of a booking (or don't show up) have their profile suspended from new bookings pending review.

What if I need to cancel?

Simple: cancel 4 or more hours ahead and it's free. Cancel under 4 hours before the booking, and the first 2 hours are charged at your provider's posted rate. Providers are never charged cancellation fees.

Are providers insured?

Yes, it's required. Every provider must hold at least $1M in commercial general liability insurance, and personal-care providers also carry professional liability insurance. Proof is required before the first booking, fresh proof is due 30 days before any policy lapses, and the profile pauses until it arrives.

Do providers drive clients?

Never. Providers do not transport clients in their vehicles. No exceptions. A provider can accompany a client to an appointment as companionship (meeting them there, or riding in the family's vehicle), but they will never be the driver.

What languages do providers speak?

When you request a booking, tell us what language your provider should speak, English, French, Tagalog, or another language. Exact-language providers are shown first, and providers only list languages they can genuinely provide care in, including handling an emergency call.

How are providers vetted?

Through our verification process: government-issued photo ID, a vulnerable-sector check, proof of liability insurance, current CPR/first aid certification, and credentials re-verified every 12 months. We are completing this with our first providers now. Until a provider's checks are complete, their profile shows “verification in progress.”

What if something goes wrong?

Tell us. Every concern is triaged, decided within 7 days with written reasons, and you have 14 days to appeal if you disagree. Email Balay.a.ottawa@gmail.com, you'll always know where things stand.

Contact

Talk to a human.

Questions, booking requests, feedback: a real person reads everything and replies as quickly as we can.

Service area

We serve families across

Ottawa, Ontario

All bookings take place in clients' homes.