Haven Living

Nairobi office · 4 min read

Ten minutes from everything

Choosing a Nairobi neighbourhood starts with your week, not with the house.

Ask anyone who has moved across Nairobi and they will tell you the same thing: the house mattered less than the drive. Before you look at a single listing, write down where your week actually happens: the office, the school gate, the gym, the parents you visit on Sundays.

Westlands and Kilimani suit people who want to walk to dinner and keep the car for weekends. Lavington and Kileleshwa trade a little of that for quieter roads and bigger plots. Karen, Runda and Rosslyn give you gardens and space, and ask you to plan your mornings around the traffic in return.

Then look at the practical things a viewing will not show you. Is the water from the county mains, a borehole or both? Is there backup power, and does it run the whole house or only the gate and the lights? Which way does the house face, and where does the afternoon sun fall? Our agents answer these on every listing, and they are worth asking about everywhere else.

Finally, visit twice: once at eight on a weekday morning and once on a Saturday afternoon. The same street can feel like two different places.

Nairobi office · 5 min read

Your first home, step by step

Buying a home in Kenya follows a clear order. Here it is, in plain words.

It begins with an offer, usually in writing, that names the price and the main conditions. Once the seller accepts, an advocate (often one for each side) drafts the sale agreement, and a deposit, commonly ten per cent, is paid when it is signed.

Before that signature, your advocate runs an official search to confirm who owns the property and whether any charge or caution is registered against it. If you are borrowing, your bank will also send a valuer, and its offer will depend on the value they report.

After signing come the consents and clearances: rates and, where it applies, land rent cleared with the county and the national government. Stamp duty is assessed and paid, the transfer is registered, and the title is issued in your name. Only then is the balance released and the keys handed over.

It takes weeks rather than days, and every step has a reason. Our advice is simple: use an advocate you trust, ask for each document in writing, and never pay a deposit before the search is back.

Nairobi office · 3 min read

The quiet luxury of a good garden

In Nairobi, a garden is not decoration. It is the room you use most.

Walk through an older Karen or Runda compound and you notice the trees before the house: a croton hedge, a pair of jacarandas, a fig that was there before the road. A garden that has been allowed to grow is one of the few things money cannot buy quickly.

The best gardens we see share a few habits. They plant indigenous species that cope with the dry months. They catch rainwater from the roof into tanks, so the lawn does not compete with the kitchen. And they leave space for shade in the afternoon, when the light in Nairobi is at its most beautiful.

If you are buying, ask the owner how the garden is watered and who looks after it. If you are selling, photograph it in the late afternoon. It will do more for your listing than a fresh coat of paint.

Mombasa office · 4 min read

Mornings in Nyali

What it is really like to live at the coast all year round.

The day starts early by the ocean. By six the beach paths are full of walkers, and by eight the heat is already gathering. People who move here from upcountry soon learn to do the important things before noon and to save the afternoon for the shade.

Nyali and Bamburi give you the beach with the city close by: schools, hospitals, shops and the ferry or the bridges into Mombasa island. Further south, Diani and Galu are quieter and greener, with longer drives and longer evenings.

When you view a coast home, notice the breeze. Houses built to catch the wind off the ocean, with high ceilings and shaded verandas, stay cool with far less air conditioning. Ask about the water supply as well: many homes rely on a borehole or deliveries, and it is worth knowing which before you move in.

Mombasa office · 5 min read

A holiday home that earns its keep

Letting your coast home when you are not there can cover its costs, if you plan it well.

Many of our coast owners use their homes for a few weeks a year and let them for the rest. Done well, the rent pays for the staff, the upkeep and more. Done casually, it can become a second job.

Start with the calendar. The coast has busy months, around the long holidays at the end and the middle of the year, and quiet ones in the long rains. Price for both, and decide early which weeks you will keep for yourself.

Guests expect what a good small hotel would give them: clean linen, reliable water and power, fast internet and someone who answers the phone. A local manager or a letting service is usually worth its fee. Check too what your county asks of short-stay hosts before you take your first booking.

Finally, furnish for the climate. Rattan, linen and stainless fittings last; fine fabrics and polished brass do not. Our rentals team is happy to look over a home and suggest what guests will pay for it.

Mombasa office · 3 min read

Building for salt air

The ocean is the reason you are here. It is also hard on a house.

Salt in the air finds every weakness. Ordinary steel rusts, cheap paint blisters and electronics fail sooner than they would in Nairobi. Coast builders who know their trade plan for this from the start.

Look for stainless or galvanised fittings, hardwood or aluminium window frames, and paint made for marine conditions. Good cross-ventilation keeps damp away, and deep roof overhangs protect the walls from the rain and the sun alike.

Makuti roofs are beautiful and cool, and they need replacing every several years; tiled roofs last longer and cost more to begin with. Neither is wrong. The right choice is the one you budget for.

Nakuru office · 4 min read

The ninety-minute escape

Why so many Nairobi families now keep a second home by Lake Naivasha.

Leave Nairobi on a Friday afternoon, drop down the escarpment and the air changes: cooler, drier, smelling of acacia. An hour and a half later you can be on a veranda watching the light go gold over the water.

Weekend homes around the lake range from simple cottages on an acre to houses with gardens running down to the shore. Many owners let them when they are away, and the steady flow of visitors makes that easier here than in most places.

If you are looking, think about the road in. Some of the loveliest spots are at the end of a long murram track that is hard going in the rains. Ask too about water, power and how high the lake has risen in recent years; levels have changed, and it matters for homes close to the shore.

Nakuru office · 5 min read

Buying land? Check these first

Land is the purchase people regret most when they rush it. A short list to slow you down.

Begin with an official search at the land registry, which confirms the registered owner and shows any charge, caution or restriction. Compare the name on the search with the identity documents of the person selling. If they do not match, stop.

Next, walk the land with a licensed surveyor and the survey map, and find the beacons. Many disputes start with a plot that is a little smaller, or a little to the left, of what the seller described.

Agricultural land usually needs the consent of the Land Control Board before it can change hands. Ask about rates and land rent, and get proof that both are cleared. Near the lakes and rivers, check how much of the plot falls within the riparian reserve, where building is limited.

None of this replaces a good advocate, and none of it should be skipped to close a deal faster. A seller with nothing to hide will wait for the paperwork.

Nakuru office · 3 min read

Nakuru, a city growing up

Kenya's newest city is changing quickly. Here is what renters and buyers are noticing.

Nakuru was granted city status in 2021, and the change is visible: new apartment blocks along the main roads, new schools and clinics, and more people choosing to live here and work across the region.

For renters, that means more choice, particularly in modern one- and two-bedroom flats. For buyers, the outskirts towards Lanet, Pipeline and the Kabarak road offer land and family homes at prices Nairobi left behind long ago.

As anywhere that grows fast, quality varies. Ask who built the block, how the water is supplied and what the service charge covers. Our Nakuru team visits every building we list, and will tell you what they saw.

Kisumu office · 4 min read

The city on the gulf

Why people who move to Kisumu for a year so often stay for good.

Evenings in Kisumu belong to the lake. As the heat goes out of the day, people drift down to the shore at Dunga and Hippo Point to watch the sun drop behind the water, and the fishing boats come home.

The neighbourhoods each have a character. Milimani is leafy and established, with older homes on big plots. Riat Hills looks down over the city and the gulf. Mamboleo and Polyview are newer, with family homes and apartments going up along the main roads.

The city is easy to live in: short drives, an airport with flights to Nairobi in under an hour, and schools, hospitals and shops close at hand. Ask our Kisumu team about the areas that suit your week, and visit at the times you would normally be on the road.

Kisumu office · 4 min read

Renting in Kisumu: a plain guide

What to ask before you sign a lease, from deposits to water.

Most landlords ask for a deposit of one or two months' rent with the first month in advance, so budget for two or three months' rent at the start. Get the amount, and when it will be returned, written in the lease.

Ask how water reaches the house. Some areas have reliable mains supply; others rely on boreholes, tanks or deliveries in the dry months. The same goes for power: is there a backup, and does it cover the whole home?

Read the lease for the notice period, who repairs what, and whether the rent can rise during the term. Walk through the home with the landlord or agent on the day you move in, note anything damaged and take photos.

Every rental we list sets out the deposit, bills and lease terms before you view, so there are no surprises.

Kisumu office · 3 min read

Land near the lake

The outskirts of Kisumu are where many families are building. A few things to know first.

As the city grows, plots towards Mamboleo, Kibos and the Kakamega road have drawn families who want to build their own home. Prices are still well below those in Nairobi, and many plots come with road access and power nearby.

Check the basics as you would anywhere: an official search, the survey map and beacons, and rates cleared. Near the lake and rivers, find out how much of the plot is in the riparian reserve and whether the land floods in the long rains.

Our Kisumu team walks every plot we list, and will tell you what they found.

Eldoret office · 4 min read

A city in the highlands

Eldoret's neighbourhoods, and why so many families are choosing them.

At over two thousand metres, Eldoret has cool mornings, bright days and a lot of sky. It is a farming town that has become a university and business city, with an international airport and the main road to Uganda running through it.

Elgon View is the established address, with mature gardens and quiet streets close to town. Kapsoya and Kimumu offer newer family homes and more space for the money, and Pioneer is popular with families who want to be near schools.

Many of our Eldoret clients are building rather than buying, and many are coming home after years away. Our team can help with both.

Eldoret office · 5 min read

Building your first home, step by step

From a plot to the keys: the order things happen in, and where people go wrong.

Start with the land and the paperwork: a title in the seller's name, a search, the beacons found on the ground, and road access you can use all year.

Then the design. A registered architect draws the plans, a structural engineer checks them, and the county approves them before you build. Larger projects also need the environment authority's approval. Skipping approvals saves weeks now and costs far more later.

Choose a contractor on their finished work, not their price alone. Visit houses they have built, agree a written contract with a schedule of payments tied to stages of the work, and keep some money back until the snags are fixed.

Finally, plan for the things people forget: water storage, drainage, the electricity connection and the occupation certificate at the end.

Eldoret office · 3 min read

Life in the North Rift

Running trails, farm weekends and a city that keeps its small-town warmth.

The country around Eldoret is famous for its runners, and on any morning the roads towards Iten are full of athletes training in the thin air. Plenty of residents join them, at a gentler pace.

Weekends often mean the farm, the Kerio Valley escarpment, or the market. During the week, the city offers good schools, hospitals and a growing choice of restaurants.

People who move here tend to mention the same things: shorter journeys, cooler nights, and neighbours who still say hello.