Offplan Projects
For Sale in Nairobi

You buy a property before it is built — off the developer’s approved plans, renders and show units. You sign a legally binding sale agreement, pay a deposit, then clear the balance in instalments while construction runs. In exchange for moving early, you typically pay less than the finished unit will sell for, and you take possession at handover.

Most Nairobi developers ask for 10–30% of the purchase price to secure a unit, with 20% the most common. Some projects take a smaller booking fee of 5–10% first, topped up when you sign the sale agreement. Each developer sets its own figure — and a bigger deposit sometimes unlocks a better price.

Usually, yes. The balance after your deposit spreads over the construction period in monthly, quarterly or milestone-based instalments with no interest charged — which is why off-plan suits buyers who cannot or will not take a mortgage. Nairobi plans commonly run 6 months to 3 years, and some developers stretch terms past handover. Read the fine print though: cash buyers often get a discount off the payment-plan price, and late instalments can attract penalties or even cancellation.

The risks are real — Kenya has seen projects stall, drag or collapse when developers ran out of money, so never treat off-plan as risk-free. Your protection is due diligence before you pay anything: a title search at the Lands Registry to confirm the developer owns the land free of problematic charges, proof of county approvals and NCA project registration, a hard look at the developer’s completed projects, and a sale agreement reviewed by your own independent advocate. Prefer projects where instalments sit in an escrow or project account released against construction milestones, not straight into the developer’s pocket.

Often, yes. Many sale agreements let you assign or transfer your unit to a new buyer before handover — that is how some investors bank a gain without ever completing. It almost always needs the developer’s written consent and usually an administration or transfer fee, and some contracts block resale until you have paid a set portion of the price. If an early exit matters to you, check the assignment clause before you sign.

Yes. Kenyans in the diaspora have full ownership rights and can buy remotely, usually handling paperwork through an advocate under a power of attorney. Foreigners can legally buy apartments and other non-agricultural property, though under the Constitution non-citizens hold land on leasehold terms of up to 99 years (renewable) rather than freehold — which is how most modern Nairobi apartment developments are structured anyway. The one hard restriction: non-citizens cannot own agricultural land.

Plan for the possibility rather than hoping it away — delays are among the most common off-plan complaints in Kenya. A well-drafted sale agreement states a firm completion date plus a defined grace period, and spells out your remedies if the developer overruns: typically financial penalties, or the right to cancel and get a refund if the delay becomes unreasonable. Before signing, make sure those clauses carry specific dates and amounts, not vague promises. Your protection is only as strong as your contract.

Budget for stamp duty at 4% of the property value in urban areas like Nairobi, paid to KRA before the transfer registers in your name — for off-plan apartments this falls due at completion, when the unit’s title transfers. Add your advocate’s legal fees (commonly 1–2% of the price), registration charges, and handover costs such as utility connection or meter deposits and your first service charge contributions. Ask the developer for a full breakdown of closing costs upfront — no surprises at handover.