Standby is a deposit management system. Residents move in without an upfront deposit, you stay covered up to the full deposit, and you draw on it at move-out. It is not insurance. There is no claims process.
A landlord with a handful of units? Set up yourself in minutes.
One place for every deposit in the portfolio, whichever way the resident chooses to cover it.
Every certificate, cash deposit, payment, draw and return in one place. Visible to your team, exportable to your accounting.
The resident pays a monthly fee instead of an upfront deposit. You are covered up to the full deposit and draw on it at move-out.
Some residents would rather pay cash. We handle those too, under the same lease terms and state rules, so you run one process rather than two.
A deposit is one promise: make the landlord whole if the resident leaves owing money. Everything else is admin, and today the resident and the operator carry all of it.
TodayHigh move-in costs. The deposit lands on top of first month's rent and moving expenses.
With StandbyThe resident applies on their phone and a certificate is issued before move-in.
TodayThe money sits in a deposit account that your accountants reconcile at the end of every month.
With StandbyThe resident keeps their cash, and there is no deposit account to reconcile.
TodayInspect, itemise and return the balance inside the state deadline.
With StandbyThe same move-out accounting you do today. What is owed is paid straight off the ledger, with no claim to file.
The resident pays a monthly fee. Standby issues the operator a certificate. If something is owed at move-out, the operator draws on it and Standby collects from the resident. Nobody files a claim.
Itemise what is owed, the same way you do today. The draw pays into your operating account. There is no claims form and no one on the phone asking for photos.
A resident who leaves the place as they found it owes nothing.
Most deposit alternatives are an opt-in, which leaves you running cash deposits for everyone who did not take it. Standby handles the cash deposits as well, so a portfolio has one process for every lease.
The resident pays a monthly fee instead of an upfront deposit. Standby guarantees the operator up to the full deposit. The resident only repays what they owe.
Some residents would rather pay cash. Standby handles those deposits too, under the same lease terms and state rules. You get the same certificate and the same draw either way.
Community manager“Not only does it streamline my process, it streamlines the leasing process, and new residents are very happy not to have to put up the deposit up front.”
Insurance and bond products come with a claims form, an adjuster and often a cap per unit. A Standby certificate is a guarantee, not a policy. At move-out you request a draw and the money is paid.
| By model | Standby certificate | Deposit insurance | Surety bond | Cash in escrow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resident keeps their cash at move-in | – | |||
| Operator has access to the full coverage at move-out | – | – | ||
| No claims form to process | – | – | ||
| Cash payments accepted | – | – | ||
| No charges excluded | ~ | ~ | ||
| Free for the property | ~ | ~ | – |
Follow one resident, one $2,000 deposit and one $300 carpet stain through all four models, move-in to move-out. Who waits, who pays, who ends up in collections, and who gets a cheque in the post.
Use the calculator to estimate your savings, on top of the potential revenue. Standby charges the property nothing. There are no setup fees and no minimums, whether you run one building or a national portfolio. Send us your numbers and we will build the full model with you.
A landlord with a handful of units? Set up yourself in minutes.
Assumes 75% of residents qualify, 45% annual turnover and about 2.5 hours of deposit admin per lease.
Your building sends a link. You confirm who you are, a soft credit check runs, and you choose: a small fee, or a traditional cash deposit. You only repay what you owe.
About 25 tools sit behind one API. A property management system, a leasing page and an assistant talking over MCP all call the same thing, and the deposit is still underwritten by us.
Issue and manage certificates from Claude, Cursor or any MCP client.
Underwriting, issuance, draws and the ledger.
Nothing. There are no setup fees, no per-unit charges and no minimums. The resident pays a fee for the certificate.
No. A Standby certificate is a guarantee, not a policy. There is no carrier, no claims form and no adjuster. At move-out you request a draw and the money is paid, up to the full deposit. Standby then collects from the resident, who only repays what they owe.
They pay a cash deposit through the same flow, and Standby handles it under your lease and state rules. You get the same certificate and the same draw, which is what lets a portfolio run one process.
We integrate directly with your property management system and post directly to the ledger. Invites can also go out from the Standby dashboard or through the API.
All 50 states. Caps, return windows and interest rules for each state are handled by the platform.
Twenty minutes with us and you will know whether it fits your portfolio.
