Property Management Software · Security Deposit Alternatives
Security Deposit Alternatives for Single-Family Rentals
Short answer
- Few vendors name single-family on their own pages. TheGuarantors, Qira, Leap and Obligo do. Most of the category sells to apartment communities.
- Your PMS narrows the list fast. On AppFolio or Buildium, Obligo is the only vendor here that names your system. On Rentvine it is Beagle, and on Propertyware nobody.
- Ask how the owner gets paid. Obligo pays without a claims step, Leap pays only after you regain possession, and most others review a claim first.
| Vendor | What it is | Pricing model | PMS integrations | Segments | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beagle | Beagle, a Corgi company: renters insurance compliance for property managers plus resident programs (tenant liability waivers, contents protection, security deposit alternatives, pet liability), now expanding into landlord and commercial property insurance. source | Renters Kit: published starting base cost $5/month per tenant; the manager sets the resident price and the proposal confirms the package source | Yardi, Rent Manager, Rentvine source | Single-Family Rental, Small Multifamily | 2026-11-05 |
| RealPage Insurance Solutions | RealPage's resident insurance programs: eRenterPlan resident policies, RealCoverage certificate and cancellation tracking, AssetProtect master policy, and Policy Validator for third-party proof of coverage. source | Not published; ask for the per-unit figure and the minimum. | RealPage source | Institutional Multifamily, Single-Family Rental | 2026-11-05 |
| ePremium Insurance | Renters insurance program sold through partnered property management companies at partner rates for multifamily and single-family rentals; also sells the eDeposit security deposit alternative. source | Resident-paid policies priced by location; not published source | Not published | Institutional Multifamily, Small Multifamily, Single-Family Rental | 2026-11-05 |
| Obligo | Deposit-free leasing built on a payment method on file (bill authorization, not insurance): renters choose no deposit, reduced deposit or installments, with electronic move-out refunds; used in over 1 million homes. source | Renter-paid non-refundable fee, a percentage of the deposit requirement set by the renter's profile, typically paid upfront for up to 12 months; renters repay move-out charges to Obligo source | Yardi, RealPage, Entrata, AppFolio, Buildium, MRI Software source | Institutional Multifamily, Small Multifamily, Single-Family Rental | 2026-11-05 |
| TheGuarantors | Lease guarantee (Rent Coverage) with optional Deposit Coverage, a surety-bond security deposit alternative, plus renters insurance; serves multifamily, single-family rentals, student housing and independent owners; 4M+ units enrolled. source | Usually resident-paid; Deposit Coverage is a one-time fee active for the life of the tenancy, while Rent Coverage renews with each lease; the landlord may pay on the renter's behalf; figures not published source | Yardi, Entrata source | Institutional Multifamily, Single-Family Rental, Student Housing, Small Multifamily | 2026-11-05 |
| Qira | Deposit platform combining escrowed cash-deposit management (FDIC-insured FBO accounts) with zero-deposit and installment alternatives, rent payments and automated move-out claims and refunds; 1,200+ property teams. source | Not published; ask for the per-unit figure and the minimum. | Yardi, RealPage, Rent Manager, ResMan source | Institutional Multifamily, Small Multifamily, Single-Family Rental | 2026-11-05 |
| Leap | Deposit replacement program that lets renters pay a monthly fee instead of an upfront security deposit, offered to rental operators alongside Leap's rent guaranty coverage. source | Resident-paid, non-refundable monthly fee billed with rent in place of a deposit; the amount is set per property and not published. Leap invoices the property monthly for active policies source | Entrata, Rent Manager source | Single-Family Rental, Institutional Multifamily, Student Housing | 2026-11-05 |
A single-family manager shops for a deposit alternative differently from an apartment operator. Each house belongs to an owner who expects the deposit to protect them. The PMS is usually AppFolio, Buildium, Rentvine, Propertyware or Rent Manager.
Most of the security deposit alternatives category sells to apartment communities. This page covers the vendors that say they serve single-family rentals, which name your PMS, and how each one pays the owner.
What does a single-family manager need from a deposit alternative?
Three things matter more for houses than for apartments. The owner is a client, so the payout has to reach the owner’s ledger and be easy to explain. A move-out charge on a house falls on one owner, so the claims terms decide whether that owner is made whole.
The PMS matters too. Few deposit vendors name the systems single-family managers run, and a charge that needs a manual entry every month defeats the purpose.
Check state law too. Deposit alternatives add an agreement the resident signs at lease signing. Have counsel read it for each state you manage in.
Which vendors say they serve single-family rentals?
The table above lists the vendors our database tags for single-family rental. Four say so plainly on their own pages.
- TheGuarantors has a single-family and build-to-rent page offering its lease guarantee with optional Deposit Coverage. A separate page for independent landlords quotes owners of 3, 5 and 20 units.
- Qira says it is built for multifamily and single-family operators, and lists single-family operators among the customers it serves.
- Leap names “single-family owners” alongside multifamily and student housing operators.
- Obligo publishes two single-family case studies: a 180-unit manager in El Paso on Buildium, and a 1,700-unit manager in Tennessee and Oklahoma on Propertyware.
Three more reach single-family through another product.
Beagle added landlord insurance for one- to four-unit homes in 2026. Its deposit page does not name single-family. ePremium Insurance sells renters insurance for single-family rentals, and its eDeposit requires that policy. RealPage Insurance Solutions runs its deposit products through RealPage’s own software.
Jetty, Greenlight (Rhino), SureDeposit, Deposit Choice and LeaseLock do not name single-family rentals on their current pages.
Which ones work with your PMS?
The PMS cuts the list hardest. Here is what our vendor database records for the systems single-family managers run most:
- AppFolio and Buildium: Obligo is the only vendor in the category that names them. See the AppFolio and Buildium integration pages.
- Rentvine: Beagle is the only one that names it.
- Rent Manager: Qira, Leap and Beagle name it. See the Rent Manager integrations page.
- Propertyware: none. Obligo’s Propertyware case study does not claim an integration.
A vendor that names no system may still post to yours. Ask for a reference customer on your PMS and watch a charge land on the resident ledger in the demo.
How does each one pay the owner?
The vendors that state a payout rule state very different ones.
- Obligo has no claims process. Once you close the move-out record, it starts an ACH payment for damage or missed rent, up to the deposit amount.
- Leap pays only after you regain possession. Its operator guide says you must file within 120 days of the default.
- Beagle reimburses eligible move-out damage up to the selected limit, after a claims review.
- TheGuarantors takes claims online and states no payout time.
- Qira says it covers eligible damage and unpaid rent at move-out, without a stated timeline.
The resident’s side differs too. Obligo’s residents repay Obligo, and TheGuarantors says its residents stay responsible for damage and missed rent. Leap’s deposit guide does not say, so ask.
What should you ask before you sign?
- Do you serve single-family managers today, and can I talk to one on my PMS?
- How does a charge post to the owner’s ledger and the resident’s ledger?
- What is the coverage limit per house, and can it exceed the deposit it replaces?
- How long does the owner wait for payment, and what proof do you need?
- Does the resident owe you after a claim, and who collects it?
- What does the resident sign, and in which states is it not offered?
For the full list of vendors, see the deposit alternative vendor list. If Obligo is already on your list, the Obligo alternatives page sorts the rest by mechanism. The Jetty and Rhino comparison explains the two products one merged company now sells.
Many single-family managers also run a resident benefits package, and the resident benefits page for single-family rentals covers that decision. Vendors who sell to this segment can read how AI visibility work for proptech companies runs.
Which vendors do AI answers suggest for single-family rental?
These are the Index questions written for single-family rental buyers. In the October 2026 edition the Index put two such questions to each engine; here is what each answer named, in the order it named them.
sda-seg-01 “I manage 700 scattered single-family rentals. Which security deposit alternative is built for SFR property managers rather than big apartment communities?”
Claude
- LeaseLock · Claude only
- LeaseGuard · Claude only
- Leap · Claude only
- Rhino · Claude only
“Qira is a strong fit to evaluate first for a 700-home scattered-site SFR portfolio.”
“LeaseGuard DepositPro: It is pitched to apartment communities, multifamily properties, and single-family rental portfolios, so it is a general portfolio product rather than an SFR-specific one.”
sda-best-02 “I manage 250 single-family rentals. Which companies let a resident skip the cash deposit and still keep the owner covered for damage and unpaid rent?”
ChatGPT
Claude
- Rhino
- Jetty
- LeaseLock
- ePremium Insurance · Claude only
- Beagle · Claude only
- SureDeposit
- Assurant
- TheGuarantors
- Obligo
- Leap · Claude only
- Qira · Claude only
“For a 250-home single-family portfolio, I’d start with Rhino, Jetty, and RealPage Insurance/DepositIQ.”
“Greenlight Rent: One 2026 guide says Greenlight Rent is the company formerly known as Rhino and Jetty, which merged and rebranded.”
The answers to these questions cited 23 sources: 15 vendor websites, 5 roundup articles and 3 other sites.
Lists come from one run per prompt on each engine and update with each edition; a vendor the question itself names is left out of its list. Quotes are verbatim sentences from the recorded answers, picked by rule rather than by hand. Every prompt and vendor row: Security Deposit Alternatives in the AI Shortlist Index.
Where the answers and the vendor record disagree
1 answer in the October 2026 edition said that LeaseLock is aimed at single-family rental owners.
“LeaseLock (Zero Deposit): Among the options I found, it is the most clearly aimed at SFR owners.”
The record: No current LeaseLock page names single-family rentals; its own pages describe lease insurance for multifamily operators, so the vendor database no longer tags it for SFR. Source.
1 answer in the October 2026 edition said that TheGuarantors is only available in large apartment communities.
“The Guarantors: One comparison says it offers both a lease guarantee and security deposit alternative product, but also notes it is only available in large apartment communities, which may not fit a single-family portfolio.”
The record: TheGuarantors publishes a page for single-family and build-to-rent operators and another for independent landlords, with testimonials from owners of 3, 5 and 20 units. Source.
Which vendors do AI answers name most in this category?
In the October 2026 edition, across 50 recorded runs, the engines named Obligo (83%), Rhino (77%) and Jetty (73%).
The live ranking, source map and every vendor row: Security Deposit Alternatives in the AI Shortlist Index.
Questions about Security Deposit Alternatives for Single-Family Rentals
What is the best security deposit alternative for single-family rentals?
No vendor in the category leads on every point for single-family managers. Start from your PMS: Obligo names AppFolio and Buildium, Beagle names Rentvine, and Qira, Leap and Beagle name Rent Manager. Then compare how each one pays the owner.
Which deposit alternatives say they serve single-family rentals?
TheGuarantors has a page for single-family and build-to-rent operators and another for independent landlords. Qira says it is built for multifamily and single-family operators, Leap names single-family owners, and Obligo publishes case studies from single-family managers.
Does a deposit alternative work with Propertyware?
No vendor in our database names Propertyware as an integration. Obligo publishes a case study from a single-family manager on Propertyware but does not claim an integration, so ask how charges would post.
Does the resident still owe for damage?
With most products, yes. Bond and insurance providers collect from the resident after they pay you, and Obligo's resident repays Obligo. Read each resident agreement for your state before you offer it.
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