Guide
Renting safely in Kenya
Most people looking for a house in Kenya have either been scammed or know someone who has. The pattern is nearly always the same — money moves before anyone sees a door. Here is what to insist on, whether or not you found the house here.
Never send money before you have been inside
No deposit, no "viewing fee", no "reservation" to hold it. A genuine landlord or agent will show you the house first. A request to pay before a viewing is the single most reliable sign of a scam.
Ask who you are dealing with, and check it
A name, a phone number and how they are connected to the property — owner, caretaker, agent. On this site a verified lister has already passed an identity check, and the badge on the listing says so.
Get the tenancy agreement before you pay
Read it. It should name the parties, the rent, the deposit, the notice period and what the deposit can be deducted for. Anyone unwilling to put the terms in writing is telling you something.
Insist on a receipt for every shilling
Rent, deposit, service charge — all of it, in writing, naming what it settled. An M-Pesa message to a personal number is not a receipt, and it is very hard to argue from later.
Check the meters and the water on the day
Ask whether water and electricity are metered per unit or shared, and note the meter readings when you move in. A shared bill you did not agree to is one of the most common disputes there is.
Report anything that does not match
Wrong photos, a price that changes when you call, pressure to pay today. Report the listing — it is how the marketplace stays worth using, and it costs you nothing.
The one rule that catches almost every scam
Money never moves before you have stood inside the house. Not a deposit, not a holding fee, not a viewing fee. Everything else on this page is detail; this is the rule.
Questions people ask us
Someone is asking for a viewing fee. Is that normal?
It is common in the market and it is not something we support. No listing on this site should carry a charge to be shown the house. If you are asked, do not pay, and report the listing.
How much deposit is normal in Kenya?
One month's rent as a refundable deposit is the usual arrangement, often with the first month's rent paid alongside it. Anything much beyond that, or a deposit described as non-refundable, is worth questioning in writing before you commit.
What should I photograph when I move in?
The meter readings, every existing mark or breakage, the state of the walls, taps and fittings, and the signed agreement itself. This is the evidence that decides a deposit dispute a year later.
Can I get my deposit back?
A deposit is your money held by the landlord or their agent, refundable less anything legitimately owed. Ask up front what it can be deducted for, get that in the agreement, and keep every receipt.
What we do about it
Every lister on Domexa Homes confirms a phone number and an email, and passes an identity check before anything they post goes live. Verified homes are fed from live management systems, so they come down the day someone moves in.
Dealt with a scam?
Tell us, even if it wasn't through us. A person reviews every report, and the agency or owner is never told who reported them. Report a problem
