Viewing Fees in Kenya: Should You Pay to View a House?

Last reviewed: 24 October 2026. This guide is general information, not legal advice.

It is Saturday morning in Kasarani. You have found a one-bedroom that looks right, the photos are clean and the rent fits. You call the number and a friendly voice says: "Sawa, the house is there. Just send KES 1,000 viewing fee to this number and I will meet you at the stage." You have now been asked to pay before you have seen a single wall.

Short answer: no, you do not have to pay to view a house in Kenya, and you should not. A viewing fee buys you nothing you can hold: no house, no receipt that means anything and often no viewing at all. Genuine landlords and agents show houses because they want them let. Keja's golden rule is simple: no viewing, no paying.

Why viewing fees are a problem

Viewing fees, "booking fees" and "search fees" are among the most common ways house hunters lose money in Kenya. A July 2026 report in The Star found that people move their house hunting online partly to avoid "house tour" fees of around KES 1,000 to KES 3,000.

The trouble is not only the amount. It is what the fee does:

• It is paid before you know the house exists. Photos can be copied from anywhere.
• It is paid to a personal number. You have no idea whose number it is or who they work for.
• It repeats. Five houses at KES 1,000 each is KES 5,000 gone in a weekend, with no house to show for it.
• It tests you. Someone who pays a viewing fee without asking questions may also pay a "deposit" without asking questions.

What the law says about people who show houses

Kenya regulates estate agents under the Estate Agents Act (Cap. 533), and the Estate Agents Registration Board (EARB) keeps the register. Here is what matters to a tenant, in plain language:

• Showing houses for money is estate agency. The Act defines practice as an estate agent to include bringing together, or taking steps to bring together, a prospective landlord and a prospective tenant, and negotiating a letting. A person who does this and receives payment for it is treated as a practising estate agent.
• Estate agents must be registered. Section 18 says no individual may practise as an estate agent unless registered, and makes it an offence to do so. Firms must have their practising partners or directors registered too.
• The Act does not create a viewing fee. Nowhere does the Act provide for a fee to be charged to a tenant for being shown a house. Agents' charges are left to rules made by the minister responsible for land (section 22), and the Estate Agents (Remuneration) Rules, 1987 tie an agent's pay to a scale of fees.
• The Board says check first. In a notice of 1 April 2026, the Board told buyers and tenants to verify an agent's credentials before any property transaction and to ask for the agent's registration certificate and annual practising certificate.
• Owners do not need to register. The Act does not apply to an owner dealing with their own property, so a landlord showing their own house is not an estate agent. A landlord showing their own house also has every reason not to charge you for it.

So if a stranger wants money to show you a house, ask yourself two questions. Are they registered with the Board? And why should you, not the landlord, be paying them? You can check any agent's name on the Board's online members directory, which shows whether a member is in good standing.

What to say when someone asks for a viewing fee

You do not need to argue. You need to stay polite and move the conversation to the things a real lister can easily give you. Copy and adapt:

"Thank you. I do not pay to view. I am happy to come today or tomorrow, or we can do a live video call starting at the gate. Can you send the exact location, the rent and the landlord's or agency's name?"

Then watch what happens:

• A genuine lister agrees a time, answers the questions and moves on.
• A scammer pushes: "Many people are coming", "the caretaker needs fare", "the fee is refundable". Each of these is a reason to walk away, not to pay.

If they say the fee is "refundable", ask them to put that in writing from a company account, with the company name and its registration with the Board. You will usually not hear from them again.

Keja says: a real house does not disappear because you asked a question.

What to do instead: safe ways to see a house

1. View in person, with someone you trust

Go in daylight, tell someone where you are going and meet at the property, not at a stage or a shopping centre. Check the water pressure, the meter, the windows, the noise from the road and the walk to the matatu stage.

2. Ask for a live video viewing

If you are far away or short on time, ask for a live video call that starts outside the gate, shows the street and walks into the unit in one continuous take. A recorded video can be old; a live call shows you today. See our page on remote viewing for what to ask the person filming.

3. Confirm before you travel

Before you spend fare, send one WhatsApp message asking the lister to confirm that the house is still available, the rent and the exact location. A clear written answer saves you a wasted afternoon and gives you a record.

4. Pay only after viewing, and only to the right account

When you are ready to take the house, pay the deposit and rent only after you have seen it, met the landlord or their authorised agent and read a written agreement. Pay to the landlord's or agency's account named in that agreement, never a personal number you were given on the phone.

How Kenya Home Search handles viewings

• We never charge house hunters viewing, booking or search fees. Searching and contacting listers is free.
• You contact the lister directly by WhatsApp, phone or email from the listing, with no middleman and no commission.
• Every listing is reviewed before it goes live.
• Owner listings carry an "Owner letting" badge, and you can filter any search to Direct from owner. The badge shows the type of account that posted the listing; it is not an ownership check.
• Listers mark a house Let when the deal closes, and the listing shows a Let ribbon so you can see it is taken.
• If a lister asks you for a viewing fee, report the listing from its page.

Still choosing where to search? Read what a good house hunting website in Kenya should give you, and for the wider picture, our guide to rental scams in Kenya.

If you have already paid a viewing fee

1. Stop paying. Do not send a second fee to "release" the first one.
2. Keep everything: the phone number, the M-Pesa message, the listing screenshot and the chat.
3. Report mobile money fraud to Safaricom by SMS to 333.
4. Report to the police and get an OB number. You can also call the DCI toll-free line on 0800 722 203.
5. If the person claims to be an estate agent, search for them on the Board's register and report anyone practising without registration to the Board.
6. If the listing was on Kenya Home Search, report it from the listing page so we can act and protect the next person.

Frequently asked questions

Is it legal to charge a viewing fee in Kenya?

The Estate Agents Act does not provide for a viewing fee charged to tenants, and anyone who brings landlords and tenants together for payment must be a registered estate agent. Whatever the legal position in a particular case, paying before you have seen a house is how most people lose money, so do not pay.

Is a viewing fee ever refundable?

Some people say it is. In practice you have no written agreement, no company name and no way to claim it back. Treat any fee before viewing as money you will not see again.

Do I pay the agent anything when I rent a house?

Ask before you start, and get any fee in writing from a registered agent or agency, with what it covers and when it is due. Never pay anything before you have viewed the house and signed an agreement.

What about land? Do I pay for site visits?

Some land sellers charge for site visits and others offer them free. If you pay for one, pay a company account, get a receipt and confirm the company and any agent involved are genuine. Never pay a "booking fee" for a plot before you have done an official search.

Does Kenya Home Search charge to view houses?

No. We never charge house hunters to view, book or search. If anyone claiming to work for us asks for money, do not pay, and contact us.

Find a house without paying to see it

Browse houses and apartments for rent, contact the lister directly and ask for a viewing or a live video call. Cannot find the right one yet? Tell us what you need on Find me a home and we will match you with listings, free.