Renting a home or business premises
Notices, evictions and where to complain — for tenants of homes and of shops.
Checked against the law on 16 October 2026
Your rights
Shops, hotels and other controlled business tenancies can only be ended or changed by a notice in the prescribed form giving at least two months; you can refer it to the Business Premises Rent Tribunal.
Landlord and Tenant (Shops, Hotels and Catering Establishments) Act (Cap 301) — s.4(opens Kenya Law)Everyone has the right to accessible and adequate housing and to property, and no one may be deprived of property except under the law.
Constitution of Kenya, 2010 — Art. 40, Art. 43(1)(b)(opens Kenya Law)
What to do
Get a written tenancy agreement and a receipt for every payment, including the deposit.
A landlord who locks you out, removes doors or the roof, or cuts water or power to force you out is using self-help eviction, which courts treat as unlawful — record it with photos and report to the police and a tribunal or court.
Pay rent through M-Pesa or the bank so you have a record, and give notice to leave in writing.
Where to get help
- Business Premises Rent Tribunal / Rent Restriction TribunalHear disputes over business-premises notices and, for qualifying homes, rent and eviction.
- Kituo cha SheriaFree legal aid with a focus on housing, land and forced evictions.
- National Legal Aid Service (NLAS)Free legal advice and representation for people who cannot afford a lawyer (Legal Aid Act 2016). Ask at any court registry or Huduma Centre.
Every situation is different. Ask Verisha with your facts — answers cite the law.
Ask VerishaInformation, not legal advice. Check the official source, or an advocate, before you act.