Guarantor digital signature: 3 signers, one rental contract
A couple renting a one-bedroom flat. Two friends sharing a lease. A first-year student whose mother backs the rent. Each contract needs more than one signature, and that is where digital signing usually breaks down: the tenant signs online, the guarantor prints a PDF, signs it at the kitchen table and emails a scan two weeks later. A guarantor digital signature in the same flow as the tenant's removes that detour.
VIVIN's Co-tenants and Guarantors brings those people into the booking, for student housing, coliving and mid-term operators. You record a second tenant and a guarantor next to the main tenant, their details fill the contract, and each of them signs in the tenant portal - right after the tenant, or later.
Why getting a guarantor to sign takes so long
- Retyping - the guarantor's name, ID and address copied into a document, where every typo is a legal risk.
- Paper detours - printing, signing, scanning and filing a separate guarantee for every booking that needs one.
- Chasing - three to five reminders to someone who is not your tenant and has no reason to log in anywhere.
- Unclear status - is the contract signed if the tenant signed but the guarantor did not?
For an operator signing 40 student contracts a month, half of them with a guarantor, that can add up to 15-25 hours a month of admin around one extra signature.
How does a guarantor digital signature work in VIVIN?
1. Turn the sections on
In Settings > Global Settings > Contract details, switch on Second tenant, Guarantor or both. Both are off by default, so accounts that do not need them see nothing new.
2. Record the people on the booking
On the booking's Contract Info tab, under Tenant details, the Second tenant and Guarantor sections hold each person's name, nationality, email, phone, ID document, fiscal ID and home address, plus a Guarantor amount for the guarantor. Second tenant appears on bookings whose Tenants number is 2 or more; Guarantor appears on every booking.
3. Their details fill the contract
Contract templates in Settings > Contract have variables for both people, such as {SecondTenantName}, {GuarantorName} and {GuarantorAmount}, plus the guaranteed amount in words in English, Portuguese, Spanish or Italian. The signature variables {%SecondTenantSignature} and {%GuarantorSignature} place each signature where the clause needs it. On a booking without these people they stay empty, so one template fits every booking - the same automated contract generation you already use.
4. Everyone signs in the tenant portal
The tenant opens the portal's Contract tab, reads to the end and clicks Sign. The Sign Your Contract wizard goes through Your Details, Billing, Review and Sign, then adds a Second Tenant and a Guarantor step. Each person draws their own signature and ticks their own statement before Finish & Sign.
5. Not there today? Skip for now
Skip for now saves the tenant's details and signature and leaves the contract pending. The portal home shows Complete signature, and the Contract tab reads Pending signature from with the missing names and a Sign now button. When the last person signs, VIVIN produces the signed PDF and files it in the booking's files and the portal's Documents.
6. Signed means everyone signed
A booking with a guarantor cannot be signed without them, and a booking without one cannot receive a guarantor signature. The portal only receives the second tenant's and guarantor's names: their ID, fiscal and contact details stay in VIVIN.
How much admin does a guarantor digital signature save?
An illustrative estimate for an operator signing 40 contracts a month, 25 of them with a guarantor or a second tenant:
| Step | Paper guarantee | With VIVIN |
|---|---|---|
| Entering the extra person's details | 10-15 minutes per contract | Once, on Contract Info |
| Getting the extra signature | 3-10 days | Same session, or Sign now later |
| Reminders per contract | 3-5 | 0-2 |
| Filing the signed documents | 5-10 minutes | Automatic |
| Admin per month (25 contracts) | 15-25 hours | 3-5 hours |
That is 12-20 hours a month back, and contracts that are complete days earlier - which matters when the deposit and the move-in wait for a signed contract.
Co-tenant and guarantor scenarios in student housing and coliving
The student and the parent
A 19-year-old books a €600 room for the academic year, with her father as guarantor for €3,600, six months of rent. She signs on a Tuesday and chooses Skip for now for his step. At the weekend she opens the portal, taps Sign now and he signs on her phone; the signed PDF lands on the booking the same minute.
The couple
A couple books a one-bedroom flat with Tenants number set to 2. Your team records the partner as the second tenant, and both sign on the same laptop, one after the other, with both signatures where the template puts them. See how VIVIN supports student housing operators from booking to signed contract.
How to set up second tenants and guarantors
- Switch on Second tenant and Guarantor in Settings > Global Settings > Contract details.
- Add the second tenant and guarantor variables, including the two signature variables, to your template in Settings > Contract.
- On each booking, fill the Second tenant or Guarantor section on Contract Info (set Tenants number to 2 for a second tenant).
- Send the contract as usual: the portal asks each person to sign.
- Use Impersonate Tenant on Contract Info to see exactly what the tenant sees.
Learn more about digital rental contracts in VIVIN, or book a demo to walk through a signature with your own template.
Frequently asked questions
Can a guarantor sign a rental contract online?
Yes. In VIVIN the guarantor signs in the tenant portal, in a Guarantor step of the Sign Your Contract wizard: they draw their signature and tick "I agree to act as guarantor for this contract". The signature appears where the template's guarantor signature variable sits, and the signed PDF is filed on the booking.
What if the guarantor is not available when the tenant signs?
The tenant chooses Skip for now. Their details and signature are saved and the contract stays pending. The portal then shows Complete signature and Pending signature from with the missing name, and the guarantor signs later with Sign now, without anyone typing the tenant's details again.
Is the contract signed before the guarantor signs?
No. VIVIN marks the booking as signed, and produces the signed PDF, only once every required person has signed: the tenant, the second tenant if there is one and the guarantor if there is one. Until then, the contract shows as pending in the tenant portal and nobody can sign around the guarantor.
Can one booking have both a second tenant and a guarantor?
Yes. Switch on both sections in Settings > Global Settings > Contract details. Second tenant appears on bookings for two or more tenants and Guarantor on every booking, and the signing wizard adds one step for each person. Either signature can be skipped and completed later, independently of the other.
Every signature, one contract. When the second tenant and the guarantor sign in the same flow as the tenant, a contract is either complete or clearly waiting for someone - never lost in an inbox.
