DepoShield

Automate student security deposits to recover damages hassle-free.

Score: 7.6/10United StatesHard BuildReady to Spawn
Brand Colors

The Opportunity

Problem

Landlords renting to students face thin profit margins from constant rent negotiations and property damage, reducing their willingness to pay for proptech SaaS tools.

Solution

DepoShield handles deposit collection, automated damage claims with photo evidence, and dispute resolution via AI review. It maximizes recoveries from student damages while minimizing legal fees and admin time. Landlords get 80%+ recovery rates, directly fattening thin margins.

Target Audience

Landlords managing student housing properties who are targeted by proptech SaaS providers

Differentiator

AI dispute arbiter trained on student housing cases for fair, fast resolutions.

Brand Voice

friendly

Features

Deposit Collection

must-have15h

Stripe-powered secure holding and release.

Damage Claim Portal

must-have20h

Upload photos/videos for instant claim filing.

AI Claim Reviewer

must-have25h

Approves simple claims automatically.

Tenant Dispute Flow

must-have18h

Escalate to AI mediator if contested.

Recovery Dashboard

must-have12h

Track % recovered per property.

Bulk Payouts

nice-to-have10h

End-of-lease mass releases.

E-signature Leases

nice-to-have15h

Integrate deposit terms.

Compliance Reports

nice-to-have12h

State-law audit trails.

Total Build Time: 127 hours

Database Schema

users

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
emailtextNo

leases

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
user_iduuidNo
deposit_amountintNo
statustextNo

Relationships:

  • user_id references users(id)

claims

ColumnTypeNullable
iduuidNo
lease_iduuidNo
damage_desctextNo
claimed_amountintNo
ai_approvedboolYes
evidence_urltextYes

Relationships:

  • lease_id references leases(id)

API Endpoints

POST
/api/leases

Create lease and collect deposit

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/claims

File new claim

🔒 Auth Required
POST
/api/claims/:id/review

AI review claim

🔒 Auth Required
GET
/api/recoveries

Dashboard stats

🔒 Auth Required

Tech Stack

Frontend
Next.js 14 + Tailwind + Shadcn/ui
Backend
Next.js API routes
Database
Supabase Postgres
Auth
Supabase Auth
Payments
Stripe
Hosting
Vercel
Additional Tools
Supabase Storage for evidenceClerk for tenant portals

Build Timeline

Week 1: Core auth and payments

40h
  • Stripe deposits
  • Lease CRUD

Week 2: Claim submission

40h
  • Photo upload
  • Portal UI

Week 3: AI review

40h
  • Claim AI
  • Dispute flow

Week 4: Dashboard and payouts

35h
  • Stats
  • Bulk actions

Week 5: Enhancements

25h
  • E-sign
  • Reports

Week 6: Beta testing

20h
  • Fixes

Week 7: Launch prep

15h
  • SEO, landing
Total Timeline: 7 weeks • 280 hours

Pricing Tiers

Free

$0/mo

Manual claims only

  • 3 leases

Pro

$35/mo
  • Unlimited leases
  • AI review
  • Auto-payouts

Enterprise

$149/mo
  • All Pro + Multi-property
  • Legal templates

Revenue Projections

MonthUsersConversionMRRARR
Month 11202.5%$105$1,260
Month 66004%$840$10,080

Unit Economics

$20
CAC
$550
LTV
6%
Churn
90%
Margin
LTV:CAC Ratio: 27.5xExcellent!

Landing Page Copy

Recover 80% of Student Damages Automatically

Secure deposits, AI claims, zero disputes—reclaim your margins.

Feature Highlights

Photo evidence AI
Fast recoveries
Tenant portal
Recovery analytics

Social Proof (Placeholders)

"Recovered $4k last semester - Tom S."
"Hassle-free deposits - Lisa M."

First Three Customers

Email landlords from student housing Craigslist ads, join 'Student Rental Owners' Slack/Discord, provide free deposit tool for first lease.

Launch Channels

Product Huntr/SaaSr/LandlordHacker News

SEO Keywords

student security deposit softwareautomated damage claims landlordsrental deposit recovery tool

Competitive Analysis

Free-$10/mo
Strength

Basic deposits

Weakness

No AI claims or student focus

Our Advantage

Automated recovery with evidence AI

🏰 Moat Strategy

Network effects from shared claim precedents improving AI.

⏰ Why Now?

State laws easing deposit deductions + inflation hitting repairs.

Risks & Mitigation

financiallow severity

Stripe fees eat margins

Mitigation

Pass-through pricing

executionmedium severity

AI false positives

Mitigation

Human override + training data

Validation Roadmap

pre-build7 days

Validate with 10 landlord calls

Success: 7/10 have deposit disputes

mvp21 days

Process 10 live claims

Success: 90% satisfaction

growth30 days

Affiliate program

Success: 10% referral growth

Pivot Options

  • General deposit manager
  • Move-out inspection app

Quick Stats

Build Time
280h
Target MRR (6 mo)
$1,200
Market Size
$2000.0M
Features
8
Database Tables
3
API Endpoints
4