Upfront cash for a rental: deposit, advance rent, and agent commission.
Move-in cash total
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Deposit
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Advance rent
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Agent commission
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What it really costs to move in
The advertised rent on a Kenyan listing is the smallest number in the conversation. Before a landlord or agent hands you keys, they typically want a security deposit, a month or more of rent paid in advance, and, where an agent introduced the place, a commission. Add those together and the cash you need on day one can be three or four times the monthly rent. This tool sums the deposit, advance rent and agent commission so you can see the full move-in figure rather than discovering it the week you are trying to relocate.
One thing to be clear about: despite the name people search for, this calculator works out the upfront cash you must hand over, it does not estimate any interest a landlord might pay you on a held deposit. Whether deposits should earn interest in Kenya is not settled in everyday practice, so do not assume you will receive any, and treat this as a move-in cash planner.
The split that decides what you get back
Not all of this money is the same kind of money, and the distinction is the most useful thing to take from the calculation. The security deposit is meant to be refundable: assuming you leave the place in good order and clear of arrears, the landlord should return it when you move out. The advance rent is simply rent paid early, so it covers a period you will actually live there. The agent commission, by contrast, is gone for good. It buys you the introduction and nothing more. When you look at the total, mentally tag which slice is a deposit you expect to recover and which is a true cost, because that changes how you should feel about the number.
A KES 50,000-a-month flat, costed for move-in
Take a flat at KES 50,000 a month, with a landlord asking two months as a deposit, one month in advance, and an agent charging the equivalent of one month of rent as commission. The calculator works it out like this.
| Component | Basis | Amount | Refundable? |
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You need KES 200,000 to move in, equal to four months of rent. But look at the last column. Half of that, the KES 100,000 deposit, you expect to see again. The KES 50,000 advance is rent you would have paid anyway. Only the KES 50,000 commission is money that simply disappears. Framed that way, the true sunk cost of moving is KES 50,000, not KES 200,000, even though all of it has to leave your account at once.
Adjusting the dials to your tenancy
The defaults reflect a common Nairobi arrangement, but tenancies vary, so change the inputs to match your offer letter. Some landlords ask only one month as a deposit, others two, and a few want three for higher-end units. Advance rent is usually one month. The commission dial is set as a percentage of one month's rent, so 100 means a full month and 50 means half a month, which is what some agents charge. If you found the place yourself with no agent, set commission to zero and the total drops to the deposit plus advance alone.
Protecting the deposit you expect back
Because the deposit is the largest recoverable slice, a practical habit pays off. Get a written tenancy agreement that states the deposit amount and the conditions for its return, and take dated photographs of the unit's condition on the day you move in. Disputes at the end of a tenancy almost always turn on what counts as fair wear and tear versus damage, and a record from day one is your best evidence. The calculator tells you what to budget; good documentation is what helps you actually get the refundable part back.
Is advance rent the same as a deposit?
No, and conflating them causes friction at the end of a tenancy. Advance rent pays for a month you will live in the property, so it is consumed as you go. A deposit is held as security against damage or unpaid rent and is meant to be returned. Treat them as separate buckets, because you cannot generally ask for advance rent back the way you reclaim a deposit.
Can a landlord keep the whole deposit?
A deposit is security, not a bonus for the landlord. It can legitimately cover unpaid rent, the cost of repairing genuine damage beyond normal wear, or unpaid utility bills you left behind. What it should not do is cover ordinary ageing of paint or fittings. If a landlord withholds it without itemising why, that is a dispute worth raising, which is far easier to win with your move-in photos and a clear agreement.
Is paying an agent commission normal?
Where a registered agent finds and shows you the property, a commission of around one month's rent is a common arrangement in Kenya. What you should resist is paying a commission to someone who did not actually broker the unit, or paying twice. If you dealt directly with the landlord, there is no commission to pay, so set that input to zero.