Kautionsfrei
Kautionsfrei (operated by plusForta GmbH) is a German online insurance brokerage that issues rental deposit guarantees, letting tenants replace cash security deposits with an annual premium of 4.7% of the deposit amount. It is a subsidiary of Aareal Bank Gruppe, with R+V Versicherung as its underwriting insurance partner.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersDüsseldorf, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Kautionsfrei does
Kautionsfrei is a German online insurance brokerage that issues Mietkautionsbürgschaften (rental deposit guarantees) as an alternative to cash security deposits. The platform is operated by plusForta GmbH, headquartered at Talstraße 24, Düsseldorf, and has been active since 2008/2009 under the kautionsfrei.de brand. Its core product allows a tenant to pay an annual premium equal to 4.7% of the deposit amount in exchange for a guarantee certificate, which the tenant hands to the landlord in lieu of cash; the underlying insurance is underwritten by R+V Versicherung, which also runs a Mieter-Schutz process that vets landlord claims before any payment is made. A self-service web application delivers the certificate digitally or by post, and the company is licensed as an insurance broker under § 34d Abs. 1 GewO (IHK Düsseldorf, register D-A1J2-H3P80-48).
The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Aareal Bank Gruppe following its February 2019 acquisition, and its product portfolio also includes the Vermietsicher.de sub-brand, which targets landlord-side protection against rent defaults. The operating model is direct-to-consumer for the core flow, with a parallel B2B2C/embedded distribution layer built on white-label bank partnerships (Deutsche Bank, Aareal Bank, Wartburg-Sparkasse, Sparda-Bank Berlin, Hausbank München), an API for partner integrations, an affiliate program via FinanceAds, and over 2,000 cooperation partners across real estate, financial services, and insurance (including the IVD industry association). Customer segments span private renters (primary), commercial tenants (Gewerbemieter), and landlords/property managers as distribution counterparties, with bundled cross-sells (getsafe liability insurance, in-house legal consultation voucher) attached to the bond purchase.
Revenue is generated entirely through recurring annual insurance premiums on a subscription basis with no setup or processing fees, supported by a 30-day money-back guarantee and pro-rated refunds on cancellation. Geographic scope is limited to Germany (foreign-country rental requests are explicitly declined), and scale signals — 39,186+ eKomi reviews at 4.9/5, multiple industry awards, and 15+ years of continuous operation — position the company as a self-described market leader in the German rental deposit guarantee niche.
Kautionsfrei firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kautionsfrei
- Legal name
- plusForta GmbH
- Website
- https://kautionsfrei.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Kautionsfrei (operated by plusForta GmbH) is a German online insurance brokerage that issues rental deposit guarantees, letting tenants replace cash security deposits with an annual premium of 4.7% of the deposit amount. It is a subsidiary of Aareal Bank Gruppe, with R+V Versicherung as its underwriting insurance partner.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kautionsfrei industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Rental Deposit Insurance
- NAICS
- Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)
- SIC
- Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Surety Insurance (6351)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Notary / Bail / Miscellaneous Consumer Bonds (FSAJAIAK)
Keywords
Where Kautionsfrei is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Düsseldorf
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Kautionsfrei business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Mietkautionsbürgschaft Annual Premium: The primary revenue stream is annual insurance premiums charged to tenants. Customers pay a yearly fee equal to 4.7% of their rental deposit amount, providing them with a guarantee certificate for their landlord instead of tying up cash. The subscription is cancellable anytime with 30-day return policy and prorated refunds. No additional fees for setup, processing, or account management.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Annual subscription at 4.7% of deposit amount |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Kautionsfrei product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kautionsfrei (operated by plusForta GmbH) provides a Mietkautionsbürgschaft (rental deposit guarantee) that replaces traditional cash rental deposits with an annual insurance-backed certificate underwritten by R+V Versicherung. Tenants pay an annual premium equal to 4.7% of the deposit amount instead of tying up cash, while landlords receive a bond certificate accepted as equivalent security. The service is applied for and delivered digitally, with an optional Mieter-Schutz tenant protection feature that verifies landlord claims before any payment.
Product overview
Kautionsfrei operates as the primary brand offering a Mietkautionsbürgschaft (rental security bond) that replaces traditional cash deposits with an annual insurance-based fee. This single core product is complemented by Vermietsicher.de, a separate sub-brand under the parent company plusForta GmbH that provides landlord-side protection against tenant defaults. The product portfolio serves both tenants seeking financial flexibility and landlords requiring security, with the entire service built on the R+V Versicherung insurance backbone and administered through online applications.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Mietkautionsbürgschaft (Rental Security Bond) Insurance-backed rental deposit guarantee replacing traditional cash deposits for private renters and commercial tenants. Customers pay an annual premium of 4.7% of the deposit sum and receive a digital bond certificate to hand to their landlord, freeing up cash that would otherwise be locked away as security. Underwritten by R+V Versicherung with optional Mieter-Schutz claim verification.
- Vermietsicher.de Separate sub-brand under plusForta GmbH providing landlord protection products covering rental default and non-payment, addressing the landlord side of the rental market served by the same parent company.
Quantifiable outcome
- Tenants save thousands of euros by not paying cash deposits
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Kautionsfrei
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Kautionsfrei technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Kautionsfrei partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- R+V VersicherungcoreR+V Versicherung is the insurance partner providing the financial backing for the deposit guarantees. They conduct the Mieter-Schutz verification of landlord claims before any payment is made. This partnership provides the core insurance product and claims handling infrastructure.
- getsafeminorPartnership offering new customers up to 5 months of free private liability insurance. This is a bundled add-on benefit for new Kautionsfrei customers, providing additional value at move-in time when liability insurance is particularly valuable to landlords.
- Eden Reforestation ProjectsminorEnvironmental partnership where one tree is planted for every guarantee issued. By end of 2022, over 66,000 trees had been planted through this initiative.
- Deutsche BankminorDeutsche Bank is listed as a partner, offering Kautionsfrei's deposit guarantee products to their customers as an alternative to traditional bank guarantees.
- ImmoweltminorImmowelt, a major German real estate portal, partners with Kautionsfrei to offer deposit guarantees to renters using their platform.
- Immobilienverband Deutschland IVDcoreIVD is a major German real estate industry association. Kautionsfrei's membership and cooperation with IVD provides industry credibility and direct contacts within the property sector.
- Wartburg-SparkasseminorBanking partner offering Kautionsfrei's deposit guarantee as an alternative to bank guarantees, enabling customers to preserve liquidity.
- Sparda-Bank Berlin eGminorBanking partner providing the deposit guarantee product to customers as a modern solution for financial flexibility during moving.
- Hausbank MünchenminorBanking partner recognizing Kautionsfrei as a solution for property owners and managers seeking modern deposit security options.
- IVD WestminorRegional IVD chapter whose CEO Alexander Geischer has provided endorsement of Kautionsfrei as an efficient solution established over recent years.
- FinanceAdsminorAffiliate network powering Kautionsfrei's partner program. FinanceAds processes affiliate tracking with 90-day cookie duration for returning visitors.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Kautionsfrei competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- CHECK24: Germany's largest price-comparison portal for financial, insurance and telecom products. Comparable to Kautionsfrei as a high-traffic online insurance-distribution channel in Germany, capable of mediating competing Mietkautionsbürgschaft offers and shaping consumer price discovery.
- Allianz Versicherung: Germany's largest insurer and a leading provider of personal-lines products including tenant and household cover. Comparable as a broad incumbent with the brand, capital, and bank-tied distribution (Allianz SE) to bundle or white-label Mietkautionsbürgschaft products alongside its other policies.
- ERGO Group: Major German personal-lines insurer offering Mietsicherheit and tenant/rental cover directly. Comparable as an established incumbent that already competes in the rental-deposit and tenant-insurance space and could disintermediate Kautionsfrei via its own direct distribution.
- Hiscox Germany: Germany arm of the specialty insurer known for digital-first, niche personal and small-commercial products. Comparable to Kautionsfrei as an insurer pursuing non-standard, transaction-based personal covers where digital UX and product simplicity are key purchase drivers.
Emerging players
- Lemonade Insurance: US-founded digital-first insurer expanding into Europe (including Germany) with mobile, AI-driven personal-lines distribution. Comparable as a digitally-native insurance challenger applying a similar app-based, low-friction UX to a market where Kautionsfrei operates.
- Wefox Group: Berlin-based insurance-technology platform connecting consumers with brokers and carriers through a digital super-app. Comparable as a Germany-based insurance-tech peer pursuing digital distribution of personal-lines products including rental and tenant cover.
- Auxmoney: Germany's largest digital consumer and SME credit marketplace. Comparable to Kautionsfrei as a German fintech addressing consumer liquidity needs through a recurring-revenue, percentage-based pricing model (interest vs. premium).
Others
- Deutsche Bank: Major German universal bank and a listed Kautionsfrei channel partner offering the deposit guarantee to its customers. Comparable as a bank-distribution channel that could either feed Kautionsfrei volume via white-label or compete with its own bank-issued Mietbürgschaft.
- R+V Versicherung: German primary insurer and cooperative financial services group that underwrites Kautionsfrei's deposit guarantee bonds and operates the Mieter-Schutz claims verification. Comparable as the upstream insurance risk-bearer powering Kautionsfrei's product and as a direct channel that could bypass the broker.
Direct peers
- Getsafe: German insurance-technology company offering a digital, mobile-first distribution platform for personal insurance products. Directly comparable to Kautionsfrei as a digitally-native insurance distributor in Germany that bundles multi-product offers (and is actually a Kautionsfrei partner bundling liability cover).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kautionsfrei social profiles
Digital presenceKautionsfrei financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kautionsfrei leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Kautionsfrei subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Kautionsfrei funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kautionsfrei M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kautionsfrei
What does Kautionsfrei do?
Kautionsfrei (operated by plusForta GmbH) provides a Mietkautionsbürgschaft (rental deposit guarantee) that replaces traditional cash rental deposits with an annual insurance-backed certificate underwritten by R+V Versicherung. Tenants pay an annual premium equal to 4.7% of the deposit amount instead of tying up cash, while landlords receive a bond certificate accepted as equivalent security. The service is applied for and delivered digitally, with an optional Mieter-Schutz tenant protection feature that verifies landlord claims before any payment.
Is Kautionsfrei a public or private company?
Kautionsfrei is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Kautionsfrei founded?
Kautionsfrei was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kautionsfrei based?
Kautionsfrei is headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Kautionsfrei make money?
One revenue line is on record: mietkautionsbürgschaft Annual Premium.
Who are Kautionsfrei's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are CHECK24, Allianz Versicherung, ERGO Group and Hiscox Germany. Emerging players are Lemonade Insurance, Wefox Group and Auxmoney. Others are Deutsche Bank and R+V Versicherung. Getsafe is listed as a direct peer.
Does Kautionsfrei have an API?
Yes. An API service available for partners enabling white-label integration of the Mietkautionsbürgschaft (rental security bond) product. Partners can embed the service in their own apps, design, and individual specifications. The API is offered through the affiliate partner program.
What industry is Kautionsfrei in?
Kautionsfrei's product category is Rental Deposit Insurance. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAJAIAK, Notary / Bail / Miscellaneous Consumer Bonds. Its NAICS code is 5242 and its SIC code is 6411.