The deal between two students was nobody's problem. So we made it ours.

Avouch exists because subletting in college is built on trust and nothing else. Students find each other in Facebook groups and group texts, hand over months of rent and a set of keys, and write none of it down. Most of the time it works out. When it doesn't, there is no agreement, no record, and no one to turn to.

Our founder learned this twice. Once at Ohio State, subletting an apartment to a stranger whose payments fell apart mid-semester. Once at Arizona State, on the other side of the deal, when a credit agreed to over text simply never materialized. Both times the property manager gave the same answer: the deal between two students is not our problem.

Avouch is that missing piece. In about five minutes, two people who have already agreed to sublet get a real, e-signed sublease agreement, timestamped photos of the place, and rent pulled from the subletter's bank automatically each month. Not a listings site, not another marketplace. Just the close, done right.