Services · Pack 01
The fastest, cheapest path out of a stuck tenancy — when the tenant is willing to listen.
Most overholding cases settle for less than the landlord initially refuses to consider. A tenant who has stopped paying and won't leave is, more often than the populist version of this story admits, also someone who can't afford to leave. They're stuck because they have nowhere to go that costs less. The landlord pays €2,000–€5,000, the tenant goes, the keys come back, the property is on the market again within six weeks. Compared to 14 months in the RTB queue with a five-figure arrears figure at the end of it, the maths is straightforward. The reason it doesn't happen more often is that nobody had built a productised version of the conversation. We have.
Shelter approaches the tenant on the landlord's behalf as a third-party negotiator. We open the door to a structured exit:
We project-manage the conversation, draft the documents, and supervise the handover. The landlord doesn't have to be in the room.
We'll tell you in the free 15-minute consult which pack fits. About 1 in 5 callers gets told "this isn't us" — that's by design, not a sales tactic.
| Initial case review | 60-minute call, full review of tenancy file, arrears ledger |
| Tenant approach strategy | Written plan agreed with you before any contact is made |
| First contact with the tenant | By letter or email (your choice), branded as a Shelter approach |
| Negotiation rounds | Up to 4 rounds — usually closes in 2 |
| Deed of surrender drafting | Full document drafted by us, reviewed by our partner solicitor before signing |
| Deposit handling guidance | RTB-compliant instructions on releasing the deposit |
| Handover supervision | A Shelter representative present at the property when keys come back |
| Final documentation pack | All correspondence, signed deed, condition photos, archived for you |
| 30-day post-handover support | If the tenant attempts to return or contests the surrender, we handle the response |
The fee is €1,500 flat, plus the agreed exit payment to the tenant (typically €1,000–€5,000, set during negotiation). If we open the negotiation and the tenant refuses to engage at all (rare, about 1 in 8), we charge €500 of the €1,500 to cover the work done and refund the rest.
| Week | What happens |
|---|---|
| 0 | Free 15-minute consult. Engagement letter signed. €1,500 fee paid. |
| 1 | Case review call. Documents collected. Strategy agreed in writing. |
| 1–2 | First contact with the tenant. Initial offer made. |
| 2–4 | Negotiation rounds. Counter-offers exchanged. Settlement agreed. |
| 4–5 | Deed of surrender signed. Exit date set. |
| 5–6 | Property handover. Keys returned. Property condition photographed. |
| 6 | Final documentation pack delivered. Engagement closes. |
This is what a Cash-for-Keys would have looked like for the Eoghan O'Mahony case. The Cork landlord whose tenant stopped paying in June 2024, who served a Notice of Termination in September 2024, and whose case was still open with the tenant in occupation as of February 2026 — 17 months later — with €20,000+ in arrears. (Source: Irish Times, 5 February 2026.)
If O'Mahony had retained Shelter in September 2024 alongside the Notice of Termination, typical settlement at that stage would be: exit payment €2,000–€3,000, deposit returned, neutral reference. Total cost including our fee: ~€5,500. Total elapsed time: 4–6 weeks instead of 17+ months. Total saved vs the actual outcome: ~€14,000 in foregone rent plus the property being off-market for over a year.
Yes. A negotiated end of tenancy by mutual agreement, with consideration paid, is a deed of surrender — well-established in Irish landlord-tenant law. Our partner solicitor reviews every deed before signing.
Because the alternative is worse for them too. A tenant who's overholding usually has a credit problem, an income problem, and nowhere to go that costs less. A cash payment means they can put down a deposit somewhere new and walk away with a clean reference. The structured nature of the offer matters — a tenant who's been ignoring solicitor letters for six months will often engage with a third-party negotiator who's offering them money to solve their own problem.
The deed of surrender is conditional on vacant possession by the agreed date. The exit payment is paid at handover, not before. Non-negotiable.
Sometimes. Cash-for-keys typically waives the existing arrears as part of the deal — that's part of why the tenant agrees. If the arrears are large enough that you can't accept that trade, this is the wrong pack and we'll tell you so. RTB Acceleration into judgment mortgage is the path for cases where the recovery matters more than the speed.
Yes. The deed of surrender includes a mutual non-disparagement clause, and our handling of tenant data is GDPR-compliant per Article 6(1)(f) legitimate interests basis. See our Privacy Notice.
This pack only works for cases where it's the right answer. The recovery math — most Irish renters don't own property to lien, wages can't be attached for civil debt, the deposit is statutorily capped at 1 month — means cash-for-keys often recovers more cash than going to the RTB and winning. But it's not the right answer for everyone. Hostile tenant, threats, large arrears with attachable assets, or you want a determination on the public record — different pack. We tell you which is which in the consult.
Free 15-minute consult. No legal advice. We'll tell you which pack fits — or that none of them does.
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