- Download our Moving to Kenya Guide (PDF)
Expat arrivals may be pleasantly surprised by the range and quality of accommodation in Kenya. Those coming from Europe in particular can look forward to far more spacious homes than they'd find back home.
Types of accommodation in Kenya
Renters in Kenya can pick from all sorts of homes to suit different budgets and lifestyles. Out beyond the city centres, you'll find standalone houses on generous plots, garden cottages, maisonettes, and villas. In town, apartment blocks and townhouse complexes are the popular choice, above all in Nairobi.
Expat families often go for freestanding houses. They usually have big gardens and space to entertain, although you'll pay for the privilege. Expect anything from a simple bungalow to a sprawling multi-storey home.
Kenya's cities have plenty of apartments, from high-rise towers to smaller secure flats and townhouses. These tend to suit younger, single expats after a short-term let. The building manager usually handles the upkeep too, so there's one less thing to worry about.
Gated complexes and estates are among the most common expat homes in Kenya. These walled-in communities have houses and flats with shared amenities like swimming pools.
Furnished vs unfurnished
How much furniture comes with a place depends on what you're renting. Apartments often come fully furnished, which is convenient, although it costs more. Most houses come semi-furnished or bare.
Shipping furniture to Kenya is slow and expensive, so buying once you arrive is usually the simpler route. Locally made pieces are cheaper than imports, although the quality is a bit hit-and-miss.
Shipping and Removals in Kenya
Short-term lets
Short-term lets in Kenya have become hugely popular, especially in Nairobi and on the coast around Mombasa. You'll find everything from a compact flat in central Nairobi to a beachfront place near Mombasa. The sector is better regulated now. The Tourism Regulatory Authority registers short-stay operators for safety, so book somewhere properly listed.
Useful links
Finding accommodation in Kenya
Finding accommodation in Kenya usually starts online. Property portals such as Property24, BuyRentKenya, and PigiaMe have thousands of listings and let you compare areas and suburbs before you've even left home, so you can plan your budget in advance.
Social media is another good place to look. There are rental listings on Facebook groups, WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok, where you can message owners and agents directly and sometimes turn up places that never reach the big portals. Do your due diligence, since these listings aren't vetted.
A good agent can save you a lot of legwork. Agents know the local market, can get you into places that never appear online, will negotiate on your behalf, and will sort out the paperwork. In Kenya, the tenant usually pays the agent's fee, often around a month's rent, so factor that into your moving costs.
If you have a relocation company on your side, so much the better; they'll shortlist properties and line up viewings for you.
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Renting accommodation in Kenya
Renting accommodation in Kenya is pricey, and you may have to fund it yourself, since not every employer chips in. If you're working in Kenya, try to negotiate a housing allowance into your contract, as many employers here offer one.
Leases
Before you sign a lease in Kenya, do your homework. Read the contract closely and, if anything's unclear, get an agent or a property lawyer to look it over. Most residential leases are a year long, although terms from a few months up to two years are common. You can usually negotiate a renewal if you want to stay on.
Landlords tend to have the upper hand in Kenyan leases, although there are limits on how often the rent goes up. As a rule, a landlord can raise residential rent only once in any 12-month period, and must give you written notice well in advance, usually around 90 days. You can object within 30 days of getting that notice. During a fixed-term lease, the rent is fixed unless the contract has an escalation clause built in.
Deposits and fees
The rental deposit in Kenya is usually one or two months' rent, occasionally up to three, and you'll normally have to pay your first month upfront. The deposit is there to cover any damage you cause, although the landlord still pays for general repairs and normal wear and tear. You should get the deposit back when you move out, minus any fair deductions, so photograph the place on the way in and out and hold on to the inventory.
Home safety and security costs
Home security is something most tenants in Kenya take seriously, and the country's wide gap between rich and poor is the main reason. Expat homes usually have security measures already fitted, and anything missing is easy to add. A typical setup includes a day or night guard, motion-sensor outdoor lighting, burglar bars on the windows, panic buttons, and an alarm. It can feel like a lot at first, but it soon becomes second nature, and most tenants sleep soundly once it's sorted.
In a gated community or estate, guards control who comes and goes at the boom gate, and the security bill is usually folded into your rent or service charge. If you rent a standalone house on its own plot, you'll often shoulder those costs yourself, unless your employer picks up the tab.
Terminating the lease
Ending a lease early in Kenya is mostly about giving the right notice. For most agreements, either side must give one to two months' written notice, so check your contract and make sure to submit your notice in writing. If you leave without giving proper notice, you risk losing part of your deposit or having to wait until the original end date to get it back.
Working in Kenya
Safety in Kenya
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Utilities in Kenya
Utilities in Kenya are almost always not included in your rent. Budget separately for electricity, water, cooking gas, and internet.
Electricity
Electricity in Kenya is supplied by Kenya Power, the national utility. Most rentals have a prepaid meter. You buy tokens through M-Pesa or a banking app and key in the code to top up whenever you're running low. Homes on older postpaid meters are billed monthly instead.
Gas
Most households in Kenya cook on bottled gas (LPG). Cylinders are sold in several sizes, and an average household gets a month or more out of a 29-pound (13kg) bottle. Refills are easy to come by. Petrol stations and neighbourhood shops both swap and refill cylinders, and some will deliver to your door.
Water
Water in Kenya is billed by the county water company, so who you pay depends on where you live; in Nairobi, that's the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company. The water supply is unreliable in some parts of the country, so most households keep a storage tank, and some have to fall back on a borehole or water deliveries.
Bins and recycling
Rubbish collection in Kenya is handled by county services, although there are also some private firms that do waste collection. In many urban areas, the county sends a lorry round, but the service is hit-and-miss, so a lot of households pay a private collector for a reliable weekly pickup.
Recycling is still in its early days, although some private companies and community groups will take sorted plastics, paper, metal, and glass. Plastic carrier bags are banned across Kenya, so keep a reusable tote handy.