The Costs of Buying Property in Kenya

Separate the price from the cash you need

A purchase price is not a complete completion budget. A buyer needs to know the deposit timetable, balance due, confirmed financing and the extra transaction costs. Start with a cash schedule showing when each amount becomes payable; a cost that can be financed is different from a cost you must pay directly.

If a lender has indicated willingness to finance, check the conditions and the actual facility documents. An indicative offer does not establish that all funds will be available on the completion date. Legal, valuation, insurance or registration conditions may still affect the timetable.

Create a line for each cost category

• Property price: deposit and remaining consideration, net of confirmed lender funding.
• Stamp duty: use an explicit rate and valuation assumption until assessment is confirmed.
• Professional fees: ask what the conveyancing instruction includes and excludes.
• Tax on fees: establish the treatment applicable to the professional service.
• Official and third-party expenses: searches, registration, title, consent, survey or valuation items relevant to the transaction.
• Financing costs: charges identified in the lender's actual offer, rather than a generic percentage.

Not every item applies to every purchase. A leasehold property, a sectional title, an estate sale and an ordinary transfer may need different supporting work. Keep uncertain items labelled as estimates instead of presenting a precise-looking total as a quotation.

Decide who pays what in the agreement

Read the allocation of expenses in the sale agreement. Rates, land rent, service-charge adjustments, clearance expenses and other completion items should not be left to assumption. Where the parties agree an apportionment, record how it will be calculated and what evidence is required.

A buyer should not assume that every tax associated with a sale is automatically their liability. Ask the advocate to distinguish statutory liability from any contractual agreement about who bears a cost. Identify possible double-counting where the seller, lender and advocate refer to the same payment differently.

Use a budget without losing the diligence step

The property-cost calculator organises assumptions; it does not assess the title, confirm that the seller can transfer or approve finance. It should sit alongside diligence, not replace it. Update the budget when a valuation, official assessment or professional quotation arrives.

For example, keep a separate contingency for an unresolved consent, additional historical search or boundary investigation. If the transaction depends on that issue being resolved, make its effect on timing and funding clear before committing to a completion date.

Get a transaction-specific scope

At the initial discussion, explain the value, property type, whether you are borrowing, what has already been signed and your key dates. Request a written scope that separates professional work from disbursements and states when further approval is needed for additional work.

Bring your calculator estimate to the consultation as a set of assumptions to check. Once the scope is agreed, ask for a completion checklist and payment schedule. Those documents turn a rough affordability calculation into an organised transaction plan.

Useful tools for this question

The tools provide provisional information based on selected assumptions. They do not verify documents or determine legal rights.

Official sources and further reading

• Ministry of Lands: land transfers
• LSK: Advocates Remuneration amendment order

Related legal services

This guide provides general information, not legal advice, and does not create an advocate-client relationship. The appropriate route, applicable law and current official procedures should be checked for your circumstances. Do not send confidential documents through the enquiry form.