Hunt like a pro: Here is how to find and rent the house of your dreams

House-hunting, especially in Kenya’s urban areas, can be a gruelling activity. Ms Sellah Wairimu, a recent graduate who has been looking for a place to call home since the beginning of the year, knows the pain of house-hunting far too well.

“The process of finding a good rental home has been very hectic and frustrating,” she says, adding that despite spending countless hours shopping around for an apartment in several estates in Nairobi, she is yet to find a unit that suits her needs.

“The time spent searching for a house has been tiring with no fruits to show, as I am yet to find a good apartment at the right price. The ones that meet my standards are mostly located too far from my workplace,” she laments.

Hunt smart

According to Ms Dorothy Wanjiru, the founder and CEO of Dorothy Agency, a real estate management firm that manages properties in Nairobi, Nakuru and Kiambu counties, house-hunting is an exercise that frustrates a lot of people mainly due to poor planning on their part. The process, she says, can be turned into an enjoyable and learning experience, but it requires a lot of preparation and patience.

Ms Wanjiru is quick to point out that for a small fee, one can easily hire a property agent to handle the entire house-hunting exercise on their behalf. Agents, she argues, usually have knowledge of vacant units around a specific area at their fingertips. They will listen to your expectations and find a house that suits your specifications, thus making the entire process easier.

Ms Wanjiru is, however, quick to acknowledge the unspoken mistrust that many Kenyan tenants have towards real estate agents. She also admits that since property agency is a largely unregulated industry, it has been permeated by many unscrupulous individuals who masquerade as housing agents. She thus understands why many Kenyans would choose to undertake house-hunting without an intermediary and offers some valuable tips.

Define your expectations

The first step of the process, Ms Wanjiru advises, is defining your expectations. You will most likely spend a number of years or months in the place that you will eventually move into, and as such, it pays to give it serious thoughts and outline your anticipations.

“I would advise someone to create a checklist of their expectations for their new house. The checklist might include aspects such as the number of bedrooms and type of finishes they desire, the type of neighbourhood they want to raise their family in, and even the distance of amenities such as schools, hospitals and shopping centres. As you begin visiting vacant houses, ensure that you only consider settling at the locations with the most ticked boxes in your checklist. This will prevent you from eventually settling in a house that you might soon resent,” the property agent offers.

Check your budget

Another important aspect during the planning stage is coming up with a budget that will state how much one is willing to pay for rent. Mr Henry Ochieng’, the CEO of the Kenya Alliance of Residents Associations (KARA), points out that the United Nations recommends that not more than 30 per cent of a household’s income should go towards settling the rental bills. “In Kenya, many tenants are known to spend upwards of 40 per cent of their income on rent, which is not sustainable for building wealth in the long run and ought to be discouraged,” Mr Ochieng’ says.

Mr Ochieng’ further notes that when moving to a new house, landlords will often ask for a security deposit. This deposit, the KARA CEO explains, is set aside to cover damage, excessive wear and tear, unpaid rent and other unmet conditions of the lease, when you eventually plan to vacate the house. He offers that a part of the security deposit may be retained by the landlords and used to restore the house to the state it was in before you moved in.

Huge deposits

Ms Wanjiru reveals that other than the security deposit, landlords are increasingly demanding two months’ worth of rent deposit upfront, alongside the first month’s rent. If the monthly rent of a unit is Sh30,000, for instance, the landlord might demand that you pay Sh90,000 upfront to cover the security deposit and the last month’s rent.

Other charges that may be included alongside the rent are garbage collection fees, water bills, security charges and service fees. These charges, Ms Wanjiru warns, may make a rental unit unaffordable. “It is important to prepare a budget with a fixed ceiling so as to avoid the risk of living beyond your means,” she says.

Location of choice

Picking a neighbourhood to move to is another dicey decision you will have to make. According to Mr Ochieng’, choosing a neighbourhood should take into account aspects such as your income level and the age of your children. Other factors might include the security of an area and social attachments of the residents to the community.

Mr Ochieng’ defines a good neighbourhood as one where residents are able to access basic services such as water, electricity, security and waste management services with ease. A neighbourhood where zoning regulations are respected, Mr Ochieng’ says, will enable the residents to easily access amenities such as shops, schools, hospitals, roads and pathways. “Always look out for neighbourhoods that have a strong residents’ association that will mind your interests once you move there,” he says.

Ms Wanjiru notes that many people usually begin the search for their next home online. She gives credit to several online portals and platforms that have made it easier to look for property. “I usually advertise my vacant units on social media, mainly Facebook. I am a member of several vibrant property groups on Facebook where I regularly post updates in search for tenants with considerable success.” she reveals.

Hunter beware

When searching for a home online, however, she advises that one should be extra careful because the Internet is fraught with fraudsters. She urges users to only deal with websites that verify landlord details before approving advertisements on the platform.

“If the deal is too good, think twice,” Ms Wanjiru cautions, before proceeding to providing examples of how people are frequently duped.

One might encounter a post claiming that a two-bedroom unit in Kileleshwa, for instance, is being rented out for Sh30,000. Currently, you will be hard-pressed to find such a unit in that neighbourhood being leased out at any amount below Sh45,000. A swindler may advertise their unit for far much less and then insist that the hunters send them a “booking fee” to reserve the unit, which is in high demand. Once the booking fee is sent, the swindler cuts off all communication with the potential client.

Some cons, Ms Wanjiru said, may advertise already occupied property only to vanish once cash has been handed to them. Additionally, many online swindlers use fake pictures to advertise non-existent properties with the intention of preying on gullible clients. She advices to always back away from the deal if you feel pressured or rushed to send in a deposit.

Do not, Ms Wanjiru warns, put too much trust in property photos posted online. Cases are rife whereby agents edit pictures of their properties to make them look new and without blemish. Some even post pictures of other people’s houses and pass them off as their own, only for the tenants to be disappointed upon seeing the house they hoped would suit their needs.

“My advice is that even after sifting through various options online, it is still important to visit the house to verify everything before paying any money,” Ms Wanjiru says.

Take your time

While visiting houses, it will benefit you to spend a lot of time inspecting them. Bring along a professional if you may, but in most cases, Ms Wanjiru says, a friend to offer a second opinion will suffice.

“What one needs to realise is that the landlords will never readily point out the faults of their houses. It is up to the potential tenants to inspect the house thoroughly and identify any defects. Check out the plumbing to ensure that there are no leakages. Test all the electrical outlets to be sure that they’re functional and note if the walls need a fresh coat of paint, she advices.

“Ask about the availability of water and its source. Does the rental unit have a storage facility to cater for tenants during rationing? Ask your neighbours about the water situation because some landlords go to an extent of filling water tanks during viewing but once the tenant moves in, they encounter perennial water shortages,” Ms Wanjiru reveals.

Relevant space

A major problem that tenants have encountered in Kenya’s urban neighbourhoods is insufficient parking space. This, according to Mr Ochieng’, should not be excused and is against the law. He says, “The building codes of Kenya provide for the mandatory provision of parking spaces by developers for occupants of a particular rental unit. Depending on the development, type of residency and size of the house, the developer is required to provide at least two parking slots per house.”

Unpleasant surprises

Sometimes, Ms Wanjiru says, you never really know the disadvantages of living in a certain neighbourhood until you actually move in. However, you can minimise such unpleasant surprises by speaking with current residents before moving in. Talk to your would-be neighbours and ask them questions about the community. Do they experience frequent water shortages? Is it safe to walk back home past midnight? How menacing are the youths in that area?

Ms Wanjiru cautions against committing in alacrity to a house that you have just seen. “Even those wanting to lease my units, I usually advise them to go home and consult their partners and family first, and come back with a decision the following day.”

Another thing people learn at the end of their house-hunting is that you can hardly have it all. The perfect rental unit does not exist, and it may be necessary to compromise and lower your expectations at times. Ms Wanjiru points out that sometimes blessings come in disguise and one can make themselves feel at home at a house that they’d initially dismissed as not good enough. “The house might have been smaller to your liking, but you might find that you have great neighbours who give you a sense of belonging,” she says, adding that home will be wherever you put your heart into.

Credit reference bureaus

Moving into a new home is bound to get a little more difficult should a proposal by the Urban Landlords and Tenants Association of Kenya (ULTAK) go through. In a bid to tame rent defaulters, the association is proposing that tenants be forced to seek clearance from a credit reference bureau before being allowed to move houses.

However, Mr Ochieng’ is against the idea, saying that mechanisms within the tenant-landlord lease agreements sufficiently address issues of rent defaulters. He says, “The Distress for Rent Act Chapter 293 also provide landlords with options on actions to be taken in case of a default and listing in the CRB is not one of them. Introducing the issue of CRB listing without proper consultations and putting in place adequate safeguards to prevent abuse by some landlords is therefore not necessary.”