How Keyworker.com Works
Clear.
Who pays, who signs and what each arrangement promises, in plain words.
Why should the small print be hard to read?
Three Kinds Of Home, Never Mixed Up
Every home on Keyworker.com is labelled available now, coming soon, or market context, and the three are never mixed. How we count.
Three Steps For Everyone
If You’re Looking
- Search by workplace, budget and journey.
- View a verified home and apply to the owner.
- Move in on an assured tenancy, with nothing to pay us.
If You Employ People
- Post your hiring pipeline, intake by intake.
- Invite staff to register their needs privately.
- Choose a nomination, payroll rent or a corporate let.
If You Own Homes
- List a block or portfolio, with availability kept verified.
- See requirements from employers nearby.
- Pay one annual subscription per scheme, priced in bands of fifty beds.
Your Rights As A Resident
- Most private tenancies in England are now assured periodic tenancies, under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. There is no fixed end date.
- You can leave by giving two months’ notice.
- We never charge you a fee. Your deposit is held in a government-approved protection scheme.
- If your home is employment-linked, your tenancy says so before you sign. If that job ends, the owner can ask for the home back, but must give at least two months’ notice and go through the courts.
A summary for England, not legal advice. The rules differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Who Pays
Residents
Nothing to us
Rent goes to the owner, as your tenancy sets out.
Employers
Nothing to register
Payroll rent costs only the admin. A lease is paid as you agree it with the owner.
Questions
Is Keyworker.com only for key workers?
No. It’s for everyone in work: nurses, biomedical scientists and porters, teachers and teaching assistants, warehouse operatives and drivers, carers, chefs and housekeepers, cabin crew and office staff. Some homes are linked to particular employers, and every home says who it’s for.
Does my employer need to be signed up?
No. Anyone in work can search, view and apply. If your employer offers help, such as paying rent through payroll or priority access, we show it on each home.
Is a home guaranteed?
No. We show what is available today, what is coming and what the market charges. Registering helps owners and employers plan, and we tell you when something matches.
Do you list homes from individual landlords?
No. We work with owners and operators of whole blocks and portfolios, so homes are professionally managed and availability can be checked.
How do you make money?
Our income comes from the owners and operators who list their schemes. Each pays one annual subscription per scheme, priced in bands of fifty beds. Owners will also pay for each assessment against the Keyworker Standard, whatever the grade. Residents never pay us, and employers register requirements free.
What is Keyworker.com building towards?
A housing platform for the workforce. We intend to help employers secure homes for their staff without leases or guarantees that count against their capital budgets, and to give institutional investors the income assurance that brings lower-cost capital into key worker housing at scale. See the roadmap, from site to sale.
Why do so many staff housing agreements need replacing?
Many were signed under earlier accounting rules. NHS trusts now record the leases they take or renew on their balance sheets, and novel guarantees need HM Treasury consent. The Schemes page shows when each agreement can end.
What We Ask
Why shouldn’t everyone love where they live?
Why can’t your commute be a good start and end to the day?
Why can’t the right home be ready when the job starts?