Does anyone know a Kenyan landlord who returns their tenants deposits when they leave? I would like to meet that Kenyan landlord if they exist. Landlords aren’t always the nicest people, but Kenyan landlords are the worst, followed by the caretakers responsible for collecting rent and managing the property on behalf of the landlord.
As I write this article, I write from the perspective of someone who has dealt with several Kenyan landlords as well as someone who is a landlord. The truth is that Kenyan landlords frustrated me so much that I decided to never rent again. I mean, what else can you do when a landlord tells you, “Enda ujenge kwako ufanye venye unataka!” And having been a landlord for some time, I can tell you that the problem is not the tenants, it’s the landlords.
Just the other day, I saw a news article about a Kenyan lady whose landlord locked her children in the house for an entire week for failing to pay rent. Every other day, there are horror stories of Kenyan landlords failing to do the right thing. Only once did I see a news story of a Kenyan lady in Rongai who gave her tenants one free month of rent in December. It made national news, showing just how bad Kenyan landlords are. As a landlord, my policy is communication. If you are going to be late on rent, communication can really help solve problems. Failure to communicate in advance can make a landlord upset.
The worst thing, however, is the fact that most, if not all, Kenyan landlords require tenants to pay a deposit before moving in, but never actually refund the deposit when tenants move out. They claim that the deposit is used for repairs, which are almost always exaggerated. Another bad habit that Kenyan landlords exhibit is increasing rent without any changes or improvements being made. Why is rent being increased then? If you want more money from someone, then show them value for their money. Don’t just increase rent because it is a new year. The last bad habit that Kenyan landlords need to stop is this thing of kufungia mutu nyumba. Some people are genuinely unable to pay rent sometimes; it is a problem when it becomes habitual. Let’s normalize returning tenants deposits and treating others with respect.
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