a fee payment required from a new tenant of a house or flat before moving in
key money in American English
money paid covertly, and usually illegally, by a prospective tenant, as to a landlord, to increase the likelihood of being able to lease an apartment in an area where housing is scarce
Examples of 'key money' in a sentence
key money
It was a shabby house and needed paint and repairs, and the owner wanted key money for the flat.