Question 1

Is Umoja an eviction service?

Accepted Answer

No. Umoja is a co-operative route to vacant possession — whatever your reason for needing it, whether that's selling, refurbishing and re-letting, or taking the property back. The tenant is rewarded for agreeing to move, not compelled, so it works where a tenant is open to leaving on the right terms and complements the formal legal routes rather than replacing them. It isn't a tool for removing a tenant who is determined to stay; it's a way to make a willing move smooth, documented and fast.

Question 2

What stops a tenant taking the reward and then not leaving?

Accepted Answer

The reward is only ever paid after vacant possession has been given — never before. The tenant keeps paying rent as normal until the agreed date, then hands back the keys and signs a Surrender Agreement formally ending the tenancy, which you countersign as landlord. No funds — including the Karibu Award — can be released until that Surrender Agreement is signed by both sides, so there's no point at which a tenant holds both the reward and the tenancy. If a tenant doesn't move as agreed, no Surrender Agreement is signed, no reward is paid, and you keep every legal right you already have — the reward only ever rewards a move that has actually, legally, happened.

Question 3

Why would a tenant agree to leave at all?

Accepted Answer

Because a meaningful cash reward — paid directly to them, on top of their deposit back — gives real, practical help to move on, which an adversarial process never does. Umoja is built for tenants who are open to moving; for them, a funded, dignified, self-paced exit is far more attractive than a drawn-out dispute. Every tenant's circumstances differ, including how a move interacts with their own benefits or housing options, so tenants are encouraged to take independent advice and are always free to decline. Umoja is not a way to compel a tenant who has decided to stay — it's a way to reward one who is willing to go.

Question 4

How does this compare with seeking possession through the courts?

Accepted Answer

They're different tools for different situations. A court route is adversarial, can take many months, and — since the reforms to no-fault possession — turns on establishing a ground, without handing you a guaranteed vacant-possession date. Umoja is consensual: an agreed departure date, a co-operative tenant, and far less risk of a last-minute collapse or a property left in poor condition. It isn't a guarantee a tenant will accept — but your financial exposure is capped, which the next answer explains.

Question 5

What does it cost me, and when do I pay?

Accepted Answer

You pay a one-off Activation Cost upfront to start the process. The Umoja Fund — the money behind the Karibu Award — becomes due once your tenant leaves within the agreed Exit Window, whether or not a sale goes on to complete. Before your tenant leaves, you can withdraw and your downside is limited to the Activation Cost; once they've left, the Fund is due regardless of what happens afterwards.

Question 6

When does my tenant have to leave, and can the date change?

Accepted Answer

You choose the date. If you already know it, you can set it when you list; if you're selling and it depends on finding a buyer, you set it later, once your agreements are signed and you have a clearer idea of completion. Either way it sits within the notice range your tenant agreed to in their agreement. If the sale timetable moves, either of you can propose a new date, and it changes if you both agree — a proposal your tenant doesn't accept lapses after a few days and the original date stands, and there's a limit on how far a date can be moved. Umoja can't control your buyer's timetable, so dates can still slip, but you have a way to move with them rather than having a tenant leave months before you complete and carrying an empty property in the meantime.

Question 7

Is there a deadline for the tenant to accept?

Accepted Answer

No fixed deadline — the offer stays open until your tenant responds; it never lapses or expires automatically. If they haven't accepted after a few days, we'll prompt you with options — message them directly, or raise the Karibu Fund — but nothing is withdrawn without you choosing to.

Question 8

What if the tenant asks for more money part-way through?

Accepted Answer

They can't ratchet it up. You set the Karibu Fund when you register the property, and it locks the moment the tenant accepts — it's fixed in their agreement from that point and can't be renegotiated upward mid-process. The tenant's choice is simply to accept the offered terms or not.

Question 9

How is the handover and surrender documented?

Accepted Answer

Thoroughly. The tenancy is formally ended by a Surrender Agreement signed by both parties, with the identity, IP address and timestamp of every signatory recorded by Umoja. Departure evidence and a forwarding address are captured, and vacant possession is documented. You're left with a complete, auditable record of how and when possession was given up.

Question 10

What if the tenant tries to re-enter after leaving?

Accepted Answer

Once the tenancy has been ended by the Surrender Agreement and vacant possession given, the tenancy no longer exists — there is nothing for the tenant to return to, and any re-entry would have no basis in a tenancy. Legal possession has passed back to you, and Umoja's records evidence exactly when that happened.

Question 11

Is it legal to pay a tenant to leave?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Rewarding a tenant for agreeing to give up their tenancy is a well-established, entirely lawful arrangement — a consensual, incentivised surrender, agreed openly and recorded in formal agreements that both parties sign. Everything is fully disclosed, nothing is hidden, and the tenant is always free to decline. Because every situation is different, we'd always encourage you to take your own independent legal advice.

Question 12

Isn't this just cash for keys?

Accepted Answer

It's the same basic idea — you're paying a tenant to leave rather than going through the courts, and that's a long-established, lawful practice — but it works very differently from an informal deal. The Umoja Fund is only due once your tenant has actually left, on a date agreed in advance, and its size is fixed upfront so it can't be pushed up mid-way. Whether your tenant earns all of it depends on their Umoja Score, which reflects leaving within the agreed window and keeping their rent up to date; whatever they don't earn goes to charity, never back to you. And instead of a handshake and an envelope, you get a signed Tenant Reward Agreement, a dated invoice and a Surrender Agreement — so if there's ever a dispute, or your accountant needs to see what the payment was for and why, you have a proper record. Whether and how the cost is treated for tax purposes is a matter for your accountant.

Question 13

Why not just agree a date and a payment with my tenant myself?

Accepted Answer

You can, and for some landlords a direct conversation is the right place to start. The trouble is what comes after the handshake: a verbal promise or a text is not something either side can rely on. Umoja puts the same deal on a proper footing. It costs you much the same. Our Service Fee is modest, falls as your fund grows, and comes out of the fund you set, not on top of it. The rest goes to your tenant. Until your tenant has left, your only cost is the one-off Activation Cost. An independent arbiter. Neither of you marks your own homework. Umoja assesses the Umoja Score from evidence, whether your tenant left within the agreed window and kept their rent up to date, so the split is fair and transparent, and your tenant can dispute it. Paid only when it is done. The reward is paid after your tenant has left and a Surrender Agreement has formally ended the tenancy. Your tenant relies on Umoja rather than on your goodwill, which is often what makes them willing to say yes. A social dividend built in. Anything your tenant does not earn goes to a registered charity, never back to you. A record your tenant keeps. Your tenant leaves with an Umoja Score, a record of how they left and kept up their rent, that is theirs to show future landlords. It is a real reason for a tenant to co-operate. You still choose the date. It sits within the notice range your tenant has agreed to. If you and your tenant already have an arrangement you are both comfortable with, that is your choice. Umoja is for the landlord who wants vacant possession with a proper record behind it.

Question 14

What if the exit doesn't go ahead, or I change my mind?

Accepted Answer

If you change your mind before your tenant has left, you can withdraw from the process — the Fund is never triggered. If your tenant has already left within the agreed window, the Fund is due regardless of what happens afterwards, including whether a sale completes — that's what makes their side of the bargain worth honouring. You're welcome to list with Umoja again later, but that's a new listing with a new Activation Cost, not a resumption of the old one. The rules on this are set out plainly in your Landlord Services Agreement.

Question 15

Where does the money go if the tenant scores low?

Accepted Answer

The Karibu Fund you agree is fixed. Whatever the tenant earns through their Umoja Score is paid to them; any remainder goes to a registered charity as the Karibu Donation — it does not come back to you. This is deliberate: it keeps the scoring impartial and the incentive genuine, and it's locked in from the start.

Question 16

Who am I actually dealing with?

Accepted Answer

Umoja Group Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales, registered with the ICO as a data controller, operating a documented, contract-based process with independent agreements for every party. The tenant's agreement is with Umoja, not with you, and the Karibu Award is paid by Umoja directly — keeping the process at arm's length and impartial.

Section 21 has ended. Get your property back by agreement.

You don’t have to evict. You may not have to discount.

Support through the sale. Full value at the end.

Rent continues, viewings happen

You choose the leaving date

Move it if completion moves

Vacant possession for your buyer

The landscape has changed

Relief is gone.

Compliance is getting expensive.

Possession is harder.

Exit is taxed more.

The cost of the traditional route

How It Works

List your property

Your tenant co-operates

You get vacant possession

Simple, fair pricing

Not ready to run the numbers yet?

Frequently Asked Questions

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