How to Screen Tenants in Kenya: A Landlord's Complete Checklist

Why Tenant Screening Matters More Than You Think

In Kenya's rental market, most landlords make the same mistake: they fill vacancies fast without screening properly, then spend months dealing with the consequences.

A bad tenant — one who pays late, damages property, disturbs neighbours, or disappears with arrears — costs the average landlord KES 50,000-150,000 when you factor in lost rent, legal fees, repairs, and the time to find a replacement.

A vacant unit costs you one month of rent. A bad tenant can cost you six.

Step 1: The Application Form

Before showing the unit, have every prospective tenant fill out an application form capturing: full legal name, National ID number, current address, current employer and income, reason for moving, number of occupants, emergency contact, and previous landlord contact.

The form itself is a filter — serious tenants fill it out, time-wasters don't.

Step 2: ID Verification

Non-negotiable. Request a copy of the National ID for every adult who will live in the unit. Verify the photo matches, the ID number is valid, and the name matches the application.

For employment: request an employment letter or last 3 months' payslips. Good rule of thumb: monthly rent should not exceed 30% of gross income.

Step 3: Call the Previous Landlord

This step gets skipped most often and is the most valuable. Call the previous landlord and ask: Did they pay on time? Would you rent to them again? Why did they leave?

Most landlords will be honest. "Would you rent to them again?" tells you everything.

Step 4: The In-Person Meeting

Meet every prospective tenant before signing anything. Do they ask sensible questions? Do they have a reasonable explanation for why they're moving? Trust your instincts.

Step 5: The Deposit Discussion

How a tenant talks about the deposit tells you a lot. Someone who immediately asks to pay in installments or negotiates heavily before seeing the lease is a yellow flag.

The Checklist

Before handing over keys:

• Application form completed in full
• National ID copy taken and verified
• Income verified (payslip, employment letter, or M-Pesa statement)
• Previous landlord called and reference confirmed
• In-person meeting done
• Lease agreement signed by all adults
• Full deposit received and receipt issued
• Unit condition documented with photos
• Tenant added to your Teknant profile

Red Flags

Unwilling to provide ID, keeps changing move-in date, wants to move in immediately with no questions, previous landlord gives vague answers, or offers to pay several months in advance to skip screening.

Screening gets the right tenant in. Managing them well keeps them there.