I don’t understand how this became a thing, being charged viewing fees and agency fees equivalent to 20% of the cost of rent in some cases.
Landlords should take note of this crap coz you’re losing tenants over this, there’s no way I’m paying that, and the people doing so need to understand they’re being ripped off.
The viewing fee should’t be a thing coz I can find the place on my own, and the agency fee should be paid by the landlord! The agent did a favor to the landlord, not me, so why should I pay?!
I swear the things we entertain as Kenyans genuinely surprises me at times.
This statement must mean you’re currently a home owner, yes?
How does the fee work ?
This was a thing about a decade ago, when you had to give landlords bjs just to be shortlisted as a potential tenant. Sahii vile landlords wanaketi kwa stool kando ya barabara wakiwa wamepanua miguu Kama wale malanye wa majengo, inviting all and sundry to sample, you’d have to be retarded to pay those fees. Heneway, I’m speaking from a peasant’s perspective, pengine huko leafy suburbs houses are still in high demand.
No, I’m a renter, what I meant is I’m not paying an agent for viewing fees or that 20% figure
You pay an agent a viewing fee and he shows you all available houses/flats in an area within your budget, should you move into one of those houses, whatever rent you pay, you owe him 20% of it, so if your rent is 16000, you’ll give him a one off fee of 3200 after you move in.
But what if all the areas in which you want a home have agents who work that way?
I kmow sometimes people get lucky and meet the caretaker directly or the owner, but most of the time it’ll be an agent.
People don’t realize they have power, and options, if we all vote with our wallets (refuse to pay) and voice our issue on the matter, things will change.
Instead of South B , hamia Kinoo, after these agents have experienced some serious drought and moved on and landlords haven’t seen money for the same price, they’ll learn their lesson.
Kinoo’s rent is nearing Roysambu and Ruaka prices and in some areas like Regen, its actually surpassing them.
Nice apartments almost always have an agent who has been put in place by the landlord to maintain them.
Finding an owner doing his own management usually means youre either living in the same compound or the property is very small (manageable for him). That presents another whole set of issues.
The real estate market and business in kenya isn’t as advanced as that in other countries. Property agents cannot rely on the landlord to pay them a fee so they just transfer it to the client.
I agree that it isn’t always fair, but unfortunately, it’s something you’ll have to get used to.
Kenyans are foolish. You can’t help them
This is to protect the agents from busy Bodies who will waste their time and resources showing them houses they have no capacity or intention to rent,nikama bid bond/ bank guarantee when you do a tender.
There shouldn’t be agents at all!
Wacha watu watembee wakijitafutia, and if agents are unavoidable, let them be paid by the landlord, not me. They didn’t do me any favor, they did the landlord the favor.
Not all estates are accessed kienyeji style,some you have to be introduced by an agent because of security concerns,two ,most landlord want to remain anonymous so they use agents.
agents should charge tenants, they should bill the landlord for services rendered like maintaining the property ,that’s why service charge is there, viewing fee is a scam, watu watembee watafute nyumba.
lazy agents charge viewing fee and whatever percentage of rent since they don’t have any other source of income
This can’t work ,imagine wewe Ni property manager kama Lloyd Masika then @Kihii Kiaganu calls you and visit the property only for him to bail out,you waste man hours ,fuel to and from your office to the property plus other hidden costs,watu become serious home renters when they pay something small as viewing fees
one thing , not everyone who comes to your shop will buy, that’s the cost of doing business, hata wale huuza ploti, they take you far to see plots at their costs and you’ve no obligation to purchase
Bei Iko factored in the purchase price, nothing is free.
Hii upuzi iko Mombasa. The “agent” will show you tens of houses in deplorable state. And still request for viewing fee. Watu wa bara are the target. A house is advertised to be in Tudor kumbe iko kwa slums hapo nyuma. Always request for photos of the house before going to view.
Agents huokolea man, imagine you the landlord hustling your tenants to pay every end month and the way some are quarrelsome. That ten percent from every tenant is worthwhile,coz you normally get sorted by 10th of every month
Si i thought ni between 200 and 500 bob !? Sasa tena imekuwa percentage? Awuoro