BuyRentKenya: Know your rights as a Tenant in Kenya

If you went around and asked random people if they know their rights as tenants, you will come back a dejected person, because people don’t know. The thought of having rights as a tenant only comes when they are having issues with their landlords.

2020 and the beginning of 2021 is a period that has seen many people have to move houses due to job losses, salary cuts among other things. This is because of the Covid-19 pandemic that befell the world.

During the process of looking for houses, many people have fallen victims to fraudsters and have lost their money. BuyRentKenya has, however, provided a solution to this and has become Kenya’s most trusted platform when it comes to linking property seekers to agents and vice versa.

The platform also gives advice to those seeking to rent or buy property on the best possible investments, listings and also their rights as tenants and landlords.

Before one becomes a tenant, they first have to sign a Lease Agreement after they are satisfied with the terms and have settled on a property. The lease agreement is a legally binding document between you, the tenant and a landlord, and it clearly states the Dos and Don’ts for the both of you.

“This is a comprehensive document where you are going to find the name of the landlord, the name of the tenant, their addresses and ID Numbers if need be, the description or name of the property, the amount of rent and when it’s payable, the deposit and when it’s to be returned and also tells the tenant and landlord in case there is a dispute, how they will solve it. It is a document that governs the relationship between a tenant and a landlord,” says Bridget Mumo who is an Advocate of the High Court.

Once you become a tenant, there are rights that you enjoy and you are protected by law in the Republic of Kenya.

Right to privacy – just because you live in someone's house, they can’t just come and storm into your house.
Right to inform the landlord if the house has a fault especially when it’s structural or plumbing repairs, and the landlord should repair the same
Right to be informed beforehand about any changes regarding your relationship with the landlord.
You are also entitled to a habitable premise. It is upon the landlord to ensure that you live in a safe and conducive environment.
Right to your deposit – This is one of the most sensitive parts when it comes to moving out and many people complain of not receiving their deposit, or receiving just a portion of it. The duration it takes to be returned depends on the time stated in the lease agreement.

BuyRentKenya is an online platform that is easy to navigate when seeking information about a property that you want and also advises on the same if you are an agent, a property owner or just someone looking to rent the property.

“We are a platform that works digitally. You can access our platform through your mobile phone, your desktop, or a tablet as long as you have the internet. We work with a very diverse clientele, Developers, real estate companies and individuals. Whether you are looking for property to buy or rent or looking for investment options, there’s a lot you can find on our platform.

The other thing is that we verify the people we work with, if it’s real estate agents, we visit their offices, interact with people representing these companies and we also request for KRA PIN Numbers. For individuals, we ask for ID Numbers as they put ads on our site and we ensure all ads are paid for,” stated Maureen Ngigi, who is the Customer Relationship Manager at BuyRentKenya.