Cash for keys — getting paid to leave, the fair way
The short answer: "cash for keys" is when a landlord pays you to move out instead of putting you through eviction. It is lawful in the UK, it is entirely your choice, and done properly it can leave you better off than simply waiting to be evicted. Done carelessly, it can cost you money and rights. This guide explains how it works, what's fair, and how to protect yourself.
What does "cash for keys" actually mean?
"Cash for keys" is an informal name for a simple idea: instead of serving notice and going to court, your landlord offers you a sum of money to agree to leave by a certain date. You get a lump sum and a date that works for you; they get their property back without the cost, delay and uncertainty of an eviction.
The legal mechanism underneath it is called a surrender — a voluntary agreement between you and your landlord that the tenancy comes to an end. Where money changes hands it's usually recorded in a short document, often called a deed of surrender, signed by both of you. Shelter explains the mechanics of surrendering a tenancy, and Citizens Advice covers ending a private tenancy generally.
Is cash for keys legal?
Yes. There is no law against a landlord offering, or a tenant accepting, a payment to end a tenancy by agreement. It's a normal, recognised arrangement — HMRC even has internal guidance on the tax treatment of a payment made to procure the surrender of a lease, which only exists because these payments are a routine part of property dealing.
What matters is that it's genuinely voluntary. You don't have to accept. Agreeing doesn't waive your right to take free advice first, and nothing about being offered money changes the rules your landlord would otherwise have to follow — the notice periods, the prescribed forms, the court process. If you say no, you're in exactly the position you were before: see Section 8 notices and the new grounds for possession.
Why would a landlord pay you to leave?
Because the alternative is often more expensive. Two numbers drive it.
First, a property with a tenant in it typically sells for around twenty per cent less than the same property empty, because the pool of buyers is far smaller. So a landlord selling has a strong reason to get vacant possession — there's real money in the gap.
Second, eviction is slow and uncertain. From serving a Ground 1A notice to a tenant actually leaving is commonly eight to twelve months, and it can derail a sale. On top of that, the Renters' Rights Act 2025 stops a landlord using the selling (or moving-in) ground and then changing their mind: they cannot re-let or re-market the property for twelve months afterwards. We cover that in The twelve-month re-let ban. All of that makes a clean, agreed exit genuinely valuable to the landlord — valuable enough to share some of it with you.
What's a fair amount?
There's no fixed figure, and anyone who tells you there is a standard rate is guessing. The honest way to think about it: the money on the table is the difference between what the landlord recovers by getting vacant possession and what they'd get otherwise, minus the costs they avoid by not going through a contested eviction. A fair deal shares that — it doesn't hand you all of it, but it doesn't leave you with a token gesture either. Several months' rent is a common ballpark for a sale.
Two cautions on the number. Don't name a figure first — let the landlord (or the platform handling it) work it out from the maths of their specific situation. And weigh it against what the move actually costs you: a new deposit, agency fees, removals, and any rent increase on your next place. A fair offer covers the disruption with something left over.
The structured, protected version
The risk with an informal cash-for-keys deal is that it's only as good as the trust between you and the landlord. That's the problem Umoja is built to solve, for sales specifically.
In a Umoja co-operative exit the reward is committed up front and the landlord cannot claw it back — the amount is fixed at the start, and if for any reason the reward isn't paid to you it goes to a nominated charity, never back to the landlord. That single rule removes the incentive for a landlord to engineer a reason to withhold your money. Your deposit stays completely separate and is returned through the normal scheme; the reward is on top of it, never instead of it. And the agreement is in plain English, with time for you to read it and take advice before you sign. It's the same idea as cash for keys, with the trust problem engineered out. What to do if your landlord is selling walks through the whole process.
How to protect yourself
Whether it's an informal offer or a structured one, the same protections apply:
- Get it in writing before you do anything. A verbal "I'll sort you out if you go quietly" is not a deal. The agreement, the amount, and the date all need to be written down and signed.
- Don't hand back the keys until the agreement is signed and you've been paid (or payment is secured). Until the tenancy formally ends you remain liable for rent — give up the keys too early and you can be left chasing money with no leverage. Shelter and Citizens Advice both flag this in their guidance above.
- Keep your deposit separate. Your deposit is protected by law in a tenancy deposit scheme and returned through that scheme. A cash-for-keys payment should never be used to absorb deposit deductions — see What happens to your deposit when your landlord sells?.
- Make sure the date genuinely works. Only agree a leaving date you can actually meet, with somewhere to go.
- Keep paying rent until you leave. Stopping rent because you're "leaving anyway" hands the landlord a separate ground for possession and weakens your position.
- Take free advice first. Citizens Advice, Shelter and your council's housing options team will look over any agreement for free.
Cash for keys, at its best, is just a fairer distribution of money that's already on the table. Treated carefully — in writing, with your deposit protected and advice taken — it can turn "you have to leave" into "you chose to leave, on your terms, with a cushion."
Common questions
Is cash for keys legal in the UK?
Yes. A landlord paying a tenant to leave by agreement is lawful and routine. It works through a voluntary surrender of the tenancy, usually recorded in a signed deed of surrender. You are never obliged to accept, and accepting doesn't remove your right to take free advice first.
Will I still get my deposit back if I take a cash-for-keys deal?
Yes. Your deposit is protected separately in a government-approved scheme and returned through that scheme at the end of the tenancy. A cash-for-keys or co-operative-exit payment is on top of your deposit, not a replacement for it, and should never be used to cover deposit deductions.
How much should a landlord pay me to leave?
There's no set rate. A fair amount reflects the difference between the property's vacant value and its tenanted value, plus the eviction costs the landlord avoids — often several months' rent for a sale. Don't name a figure first, and weigh any offer against what the move will actually cost you.
Could I lose out by agreeing?
The main risk is handing back your keys before the agreement is signed and payment is secured — until then you're still liable for rent. Get everything in writing, keep paying rent until you leave, keep your deposit separate, and take free advice before you sign.