Jetty vs Obligo: A Surety Bond or a Payment Method on File

Jetty and Obligo both let a resident move in without the full cash deposit, and they sit at opposite ends of the category. Jetty sells a surety bond, with an insurer behind it. Obligo keeps a payment method on file and insures nothing.

A manager with a few hundred doors usually reaches this choice after deciding the cash deposit is more trouble than it is worth. This page compares the two from each vendor’s own pages: how it works, how you get paid, what the resident pays and still owes, and which systems it names.

How does Jetty Deposit work?

Jetty replaces the cash deposit with a surety bond. Its property page names the paper: State National Insurance Company, and National Specialty Insurance Company in Florida. The resident pays monthly or once, priced by the amount of protection and their credit score.

Jetty says everyone you approve is automatically approved for Jetty Deposit, and the bond stays in place for the whole tenancy, with no new bond at renewal. Coverage amounts can be set per property and per resident.

Jetty has joined forces with Rhino, which now sells as Greenlight Rent. The Jetty and Rhino comparison covers what that means for the two products.

How does Obligo work?

Obligo calls its product deposit-free leasing. The resident authorizes charges on a payment method up to the deposit amount, and its FAQ says bank letters of credit from Wells Fargo back the program. Obligo says it is neither insurance nor a surety bond.

Renters choose no deposit, a reduced deposit, installments, or a full deposit that earns up to 2 percent interest. That last option matters to a manager who wants to keep taking cash from residents who prefer it.

How do they pay you at move-out?

The payout is the clearest difference.

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 authorized amount. The FAQ says it needs no proof of damage.

In return it screens a management company’s deposit-charge history before onboarding and can suspend a manager whose charge rate crosses a threshold.

Jetty takes a claim. You file up to the total bond amount, and its in-house adjusters review it; the page promises quick payment without a timeline. Jetty says its coverage has no category limits on lost rent or damage.

What does each cost the resident?

Jetty publishes a starting price: $1,000 of protection from $7 a month. The resident can pay monthly or once, and the price depends on the protection amount and their credit score.

Obligo’s renter pays a non-refundable service fee, a percentage of the deposit requirement set by the renter’s profile. It is usually paid up front for the first lease term of up to 12 months, and Obligo says the property pays nothing.

The resident still owes for damage under both. Jetty says it recovers what it pays directly from the resident. Obligo’s resident repays Obligo for any charge, in a lump sum or interest-free installments.

Set the resident’s total cost over an average tenancy beside the deposit you would have collected.

Which PMS do they work with?

Obligo names six systems on its software-partner page: Yardi, RealPage, Entrata, AppFolio, Buildium and MRI. Yardi, AppFolio and Buildium are embedded, and Entrata is available by API.

Jetty’s properties page says its products integrate with all the major property management systems, without naming one. For a manager on AppFolio or Buildium, that means Obligo’s integration is on paper and Jetty’s has to be shown. The AppFolio integrations page and the Buildium integrations page list the vendors in every category that name each system.

What should you ask in the demo?

1. Above the deposit, then what? Obligo charges only up to the deposit amount. Ask Jetty what coverage limit you can set per resident.
2. How long until you are paid? Ask Jetty for its average days to payout and the proof a claim needs. Ask Obligo how a resident disputes a charge after it pays you.
3. What does the resident sign? Ask both for the addendum and which state deposit-law protections the resident gives up.
4. Who qualifies? Ask Jetty what a resident with weak credit pays. Ask Obligo what share of applicants qualifies for the no-deposit option.
5. What happens at renewal? Jetty’s bond runs for the tenancy. Ask Obligo what the resident pays after the first term.
6. Show it in our PMS. Ask both to show enrollment and a move-out charge or claim reaching the resident ledger.

Which fits you?

Obligo fits a manager on one of the six systems it names who wants no claims process and no insurance product on the lease. It also suits one who wants to keep collecting cash from some residents. The thing to test is what happens when damage exceeds the deposit.

Jetty fits a manager who wants a surety bond with a named carrier, a published starting price and a bond that covers the whole tenancy. The thing to test is the integration, and how fast its adjusters pay.

The Obligo alternatives page sorts the rest of the category by mechanism, and Jetty against TheGuarantors compares two surety bonds. Managers of houses can start with deposit alternatives for single-family rentals. The category vendor list puts every record side by side.

Vendors who want to see how AI answers describe them can read about our AI visibility work for proptech vendors.