A lease-to-own website deal is a sale paid in monthly installments. The buyer takes over the site from the first day, you receive a fixed payment every month, and full ownership passes once the agreed price has been paid. With us, that monthly payment is roughly $300 to $500 per site, and the whole arrangement is set out in a written agreement before anything changes hands.
It suits owners of a site that still has traffic and trust but no running business behind it. You stop paying for hosting and renewals, the site stays online and looked after, and you get a steady monthly income instead of watching the asset fade.
How does lease-to-own work in general?
Lease-to-own is not unique to websites. The same idea is used for equipment, cars and property: one side gets the use of an asset now, pays for it over time, and becomes the full owner at the end. For websites, the asset is the domain plus the content, history and links that come with it.
Three numbers define every deal: the total price, the monthly payment, and the number of months. Change one and the others move. A buyer who pays more each month finishes sooner. A seller who wants a higher total usually accepts a longer term.
Compared with an outright sale, the trade is simple. You wait for the money, and in return the total is typically higher. With us, the monthly route pays a higher total than our cash offer for the same site. We compare both routes in detail in lease-to-own vs outright sale.
Month 0: application and review
Everything starts with a short form. You give the domain, a few lines about the business that used to run on it, and how to reach you. That is all we need to take a first look.
We then review the site against our minimums. We look for a site that is still indexed on Google, has at least 500 monthly organic traffic visits as estimated by Ahrefs, has at least two or three strong authority links, has a brand name that still ranks for some of its keywords, and has an owner who can transfer the domain. We do not take parked, expired or dropped domains, domains without content, hobby blogs with no business behind them, sites built to sell ads, or penalized or hacked sites. How we evaluate a site is explained on the call, and the general checks are listed on our methodology page.
If you want to check the basics yourself first, our free website value check runs in your browser and tells you whether your site looks lease-worthy, borderline or not yet.
Month 0: the offer, cash and monthly side by side
If the site fits, we send an offer. Where the asset is right for it, we show both routes together so you can compare them on one page.
| Monthly (lease-to-own) | Cash (outright purchase) | |
|---|---|---|
| How you are paid | A fixed amount each month, roughly $300 to $500 per site | One payment at closing |
| Total you receive | Higher than our cash offer | Lower than the monthly total |
| When ownership passes | When the agreed price is paid in full, per the agreement | At closing |
| Hosting, renewals, upkeep | We take them over from day one | We take them over from day one |
| Your ongoing risk | Payments continue over time | None after closing |
| Available for | Sites that meet our minimums (our preferred route) | The right asset, case by case |
Neither route is right for everyone. An owner who needs a lump sum to close out company accounts may prefer cash. An owner who would rather have a higher total and a monthly income may prefer the lease. Read our guide on preparing a website for sale or lease before you accept either.
Month 0: the written agreement
Nothing transfers until both sides sign a written agreement. This is non-negotiable for us, and it should be non-negotiable for you with any buyer. The exact terms of every deal, including the price, the payment schedule, who holds the domain and what happens in each scenario, are set out in that document.
Many website and domain sales use an asset purchase agreement or a similar contract. A lease-to-own agreement adds the payment schedule and the rules for the term. Read it fully, ask about anything unclear, and have a lawyer review it. This is general information, not legal advice, and a qualified lawyer in your country can tell you what the terms mean for your situation.
What should a seller insist on in any lease-to-own agreement?
Whoever the buyer is, a fair lease-to-own deal puts the following in writing:
- Written terms, signed before any transfer. No handover on a phone call or a chat message.
- A clear payment schedule. The monthly amount, the due date, how payment is made, the number of payments and the total.
- What counts as a missed payment. How late is late, how much time the buyer has to catch up, and how you will be notified.
- What happens if payments stop. Whether the domain and site return to you, and whether payments already made are kept.
- Who holds the domain during the term. Whether you stay the registrant, the buyer becomes the registrant, or a neutral party holds it.
- Who pays renewals and hosting. And what proof you get that renewals are done on time.
- When and how ownership passes. The exact trigger, usually the final payment, and the steps that follow.
- Escrow options. Whether a neutral escrow service will hold funds or the domain.
Escrow is worth asking about. On a standard domain sale, Escrow.com holds the buyer’s funds in trust, waits for the seller to transfer the domain, checks WHOIS to confirm the buyer is now the registrant, and then releases payment. The same page lists domain name leasing as a related service. Its fee calculator shows standard fees from 2.6% on deals up to $5,000 (with a $50 minimum) falling to 1.9% between $50,000 and $200,000, and buyer and seller agree who pays. For more warning signs to watch for, see our guide on red flags in website buyers.
Month 1: handover
Once the agreement is signed, the handover begins. From day one we take over hosting, renewals and upkeep, so you stop paying those bills. We take over the site, keep it online and look after it. The details depend on the site and are discussed on the call.
Practically, the handover usually covers hosting or a copy of the site files, access to the content management system, and the domain arrangements set out in the agreement. If the domain moves between registrants or registrars, two ICANN rules are worth knowing. Under the ICANN Transfer Policy, your registrar must provide the auth code and remove the transfer lock within 5 calendar days of your request if it has no self-service tool. The same policy says a registrar must impose a 60-day transfer lock after a change of registrant, unless the registrant opted out before the change. Our guide on how a website transfer works covers each step.
Old customer records, order histories and mailing lists are a separate matter. Unless the agreement says otherwise, export what you must keep and remove the rest before handover, and check your data protection obligations with a qualified adviser, since this is not legal advice.
Months 1 onward: monthly payments
After handover, payments arrive on the agreed date each month, roughly $300 to $500 per site with us. They continue until the agreed price is paid in full. You do nothing to earn them beyond what the agreement requires, and you no longer carry the cost of keeping the site alive, which we break down in the real cost of keeping a dead website online.
Keep a simple record of every payment received: the date, the amount and the running total. You will want it for your own books, for any question about the balance, and for tax. How installment payments are taxed differs a lot by country, and our guide to taxes when you sell or lease a website sets out the official rules for the US, UK, EU, Canada and Australia.
An illustration of the timeline
The table below is an illustration only. The numbers are invented to show the mechanics and are not a quote or a promise. Suppose an agreed price of $9,600 paid at $400 a month over 24 months.
| Month (illustration) | What happens | Payment (illustration) | Total paid so far |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Application, review, offer, written agreement signed | $0 | $0 |
| 1 | Handover; we take over hosting, renewals, upkeep | $400 | $400 |
| 2 to 6 | Monthly payments on the agreed date | $400 each | $2,400 |
| 7 to 12 | Monthly payments continue | $400 each | $4,800 |
| 13 to 18 | Monthly payments continue | $400 each | $7,200 |
| 19 to 23 | Monthly payments continue | $400 each | $9,200 |
| 24 | Final payment; ownership passes per the agreement | $400 | $9,600 |
A real deal will have its own price, monthly amount and term, all fixed in the written agreement.
What does an agreement typically say about missed payments?
Lease-to-own agreements generally deal with missed payments in a few standard ways. They define when a payment is late, often allow a short period to catch up, and say what happens if the buyer stops paying altogether. A common approach in lease-to-own arrangements is that the asset returns to the seller if payments stop for good, and the agreement states whether payments already made are kept.
We do not publish standard clauses here, because the exact terms are set out in the written agreement for each site. What matters for you is that this section exists, is clear, and is something you understand before signing. If an agreement from any buyer is vague on missed payments, ask for it in writing or walk away. This is general information, not legal advice.
Final payment: when does ownership pass?
Ownership passes when the agreed price has been paid in full, on the terms the agreement sets out. In practice, the final payment triggers the last steps: any remaining domain or account transfers are completed, any escrow arrangement is closed, and both sides confirm that the deal is done.
After that, the site is fully the buyer’s and your role is finished. Keep a copy of the signed agreement, your payment records and any transfer confirmations. You may need them for tax, and they settle any later question about who owned what and when.
What to do next
- Check your site against the basics with the free website value check.
- Gather your traffic data, authority links and domain details using our preparation guide.
- Send us your site for a free valuation and we will come back with an offer, cash and monthly side by side where both fit.
Frequently asked questions
How does a lease-to-own website deal work?
You and the buyer agree a total price and a monthly payment. The buyer takes over running the site, including hosting and renewals, and pays you every month until the agreed price is paid in full. Ownership passes on the terms set out in the written agreement, usually when the final payment clears. With us, monthly payments are roughly $300 to $500 per site.
Do I get more money with lease-to-own or a cash sale?
With us, the monthly route pays a higher total than our cash offer, because you wait for the money and carry some risk while payments run. A cash sale gives you a smaller amount sooner and closes the matter in one step. Which suits you depends on whether you value the higher total or the speed and certainty of a single payment.
What happens if the buyer stops paying?
That depends on the written agreement, which is why it matters so much. A fair lease-to-own agreement should state what counts as a missed payment, how long the buyer has to catch up, and what happens to the domain and site if payments stop for good. Read that section closely and have a lawyer review it before you sign. This is general information, not legal advice.
Who holds the domain during a lease-to-own term?
It varies by deal. In some arrangements the seller stays the registrant until the final payment, in others the domain is held by a neutral escrow service, and in others it moves to the buyer at the start with protections for the seller. The written agreement should name who holds it, who pays renewals and what happens at the end of the term.
How long does a lease-to-own website deal last?
The term is the agreed price divided by the monthly payment, so it differs from site to site. A higher price or a lower monthly amount means a longer term. The exact number of months, the payment dates and the final payment are all set out in the written agreement before anything is transferred.
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