Terms of Service

These terms govern your use of the Keyhold website and the brokerage service it describes. They are written in plain language on purpose. If a term below is unclear, ask us before you engage us, not afterwards.

1. Who we are, and what we are not

Keyhold is a letting brokerage. We introduce tenants to landlords of furnished properties on terms of 3 to 12 months, and we act as guarantor for the term where the landlord requires one.

We are not a bank, not an escrow agent, and not a licensed financial institution. We do not hold client money at any point. Deposits and rent are held by an independent, licensed third-party escrow agent under a separate escrow agreement, which we provide to you on request before any funds move.

2. Eligibility and identity verification

You must be at least 18 years old and legally able to enter a tenancy in the country concerned. We verify the identity of every tenant — a passport, checked on a video call — without exception. For funds above $25,000 entering escrow, we ask for evidence of the source of those funds.

We do not require payslips, an employer’s letter, a local guarantor, or a bank reference, because the landlords we work with do not require them of us. That is a difference in commercial requirements, not a reduction in identity or anti-money-laundering checks, and we will decline any engagement where those checks cannot be completed.

3. How the transaction works

• You pay the deposit and the first rent tranche to the escrow agent. Never to us.
• The landlord signs and hands over keys. You then have 72 hours to report any problem with the property.
• Once that window closes without a report, escrow releases the rent tranche to the landlord. The deposit remains in escrow, in your name, for the full term.
• After the final inspection, the deposit is returned within 10 business days, less any amount agreed in writing or assessed against you.

4. Fees and payment

Our fee is 22% of the rent for the term. It is already included in every price displayed on this website. We do not charge administration fees, cleaning fees, key fees, or processing fees, and no additional charge is introduced later in the process.

We quote and settle in US dollars. Where you elect to pay in cryptocurrency, conversion occurs at the rate prevailing when funds are received, a 1.5% conversion spread applies and is itemised on your invoice, and any movement in the exchange rate between quotation and receipt is to your account, favourably or otherwise. Paying in cryptocurrency does not alter the identity or source-of-funds checks in clause 2.

5. Cancellations and refunds

• If the landlord withdraws before key handover: all sums, including our fee, are returned to you.
• If the property materially differs from its listing and you report this inside the 72-hour window: all sums, including our fee, are returned.
• If you cancel after the landlord has signed: the rent tranche is returned less the landlord’s contractual cancellation share. Our fee is not refunded, as the work has been performed.
• At the end of the term: the deposit is returned in full where the property is in the condition in which you received it. Fair wear and tear is not damage. Where an inspection assesses damage beyond fair wear, or rent is outstanding, the landlord is paid from the deposit up to the assessed amount and the balance is returned to you with an itemised assessment.

6. Your responsibilities

• Give us accurate information about yourself, your occupants, and any pets.
• Comply with the lease, including any restriction on subletting.
• Report problems with the property promptly, and in any event within the inspection window.
• Pay rent when it falls due under the lease.

7. What we do not do

We publish the full list of the situations we cannot assist with at What we can’t do, and it forms part of these terms. In particular, we give no immigration, tax, or investment advice; a lease brokered by us is not a visa and may not be accepted as proof of address in the relevant jurisdiction.

8. Limitation of liability

We are a party to the introduction and the guarantee, not a party to every dispute that may arise between you and a landlord. To the fullest extent permitted by law, our liability is limited to the fee you paid us. We do not exclude liability for fraud, or for anything that cannot lawfully be excluded.

A property enquiry is not a booking, and a booking is not a guaranteed tenancy. Landlords may decline an applicant, and nothing on this website is an offer capable of acceptance.

9. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. The version in force is the one published here on the date you engage us, and we will tell you if a material term changes during your engagement.