Valuation fees in Kenya are set by a gazetted scale, not negotiated. This article explains the current scale and works through examples for common instructions.
Where valuation fees come from
Registered valuers in Kenya do not set their own prices. Fees follow the scale in the Valuers (Forms and Fees) Rules, made under the Valuers Act (Cap. 532). The scale sits in the Third Schedule to those Rules.
The Third Schedule was substituted by Legal Notice 69 of 2024, published in Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 93 of 25 April 2024. The figures in this article are taken from that text.
The fee is a percentage of the value the valuer reports, applied in bands. A higher rate applies to the first part of the value and a lower rate to the remainder, which the Rules call the residue.
The scale for each type of valuation
The Rules set different bands for different kinds of asset and purpose. The main ones are:
- Land and buildings (the Schedule's item for urban, rating and agricultural valuations): 1% of the first KES 5,000,000 and 0.25% of the residue.
- Valuations for compulsory acquisition: 2% of the first KES 5,000,000 and 0.5% of the residue.
- Rental valuations: 10% of the first KES 800,000 of annual rent and 5% of the residue.
- Plant, machinery and automobiles: 1.5% of the first KES 10,000,000 and 0.5% of the residue.
- Furniture, fittings and equipment: 5% of the first KES 2,000,000 and 2.5% of the residue.
- Minimum fee for any valuation: KES 25,000.
- Consultancy that does not involve a valuation or advice on value: KES 3,000 per hour, with the hours as assessed by the Director of Valuation.
Worked examples
The table applies the scale to some typical instructions. Each fee is calculated on the reported value, or on the annual rent for a rental valuation. Where the percentage produces less than KES 25,000, the minimum fee applies instead.
| Example | Value (KES) | How the scale applies | Fee (KES) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential plot | 2,000,000 | 1% = 20,000, below the minimum | 25,000 |
| House | 3,000,000 | 1% of 3,000,000 | 30,000 |
| Apartment | 10,000,000 | 1% of the first 5,000,000 + 0.25% of 5,000,000 | 62,500 |
| Office building | 50,000,000 | 1% of the first 5,000,000 + 0.25% of 45,000,000 | 162,500 |
| Compulsory acquisition | 20,000,000 | 2% of the first 5,000,000 + 0.5% of 15,000,000 | 175,000 |
| Plant & machinery | 15,000,000 | 1.5% of the first 10,000,000 + 0.5% of 5,000,000 | 175,000 |
| Rental valuation | 1,200,000 a year | 10% of the first 800,000 + 5% of 400,000 | 100,000 |
What the scale fee does not include
The figures above are the scale fee before VAT. Disbursements, the costs incurred on the instruction such as travel to the property, are charged in addition. Attendance at court and certified copies of a report are charged at the separate rates in the Schedule.
Because the fee depends on the value, the exact figure is only known once the valuation is complete. We confirm the basis of the fee in writing before work starts.
This article is information about how the scale works. It is not a quotation or an offer.
Why valuers do not quote outside the scale
Rule 3(1)(f) and (g) of the Valuers (Professional Misconduct) (Procedure) Rules, Legal Notice 32 of 1987, make it professional misconduct for a valuer to deviate from the Board's scale of fees without the Board's sanction, or to quote fees outside it. A registered valuer therefore cannot offer a discount on the scale.
The Valuers Registration Board restated this in a public notice of 29 September 2023. The notice says that valuations whose fees are not charged by the scale may be rendered null and void.
The same notice says that public bodies must pay professional fees by the professional scales, as the public procurement regulations and a circular from the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority dated 25 July 2023 require. The Board monitors tenders and requests for quotation for compliance.
For a client, the practical point is that a report whose fee was not charged by the scale carries that risk when a lender, a court or a public body comes to rely on it.
Older figures still in circulation
Older figures, with 1% charged on the first KES 2 million and a minimum fee of KES 15,000, predate Legal Notice 69 of 2024 and should not be used to estimate a current fee.
If you are budgeting for a valuation, work from the current Third Schedule and ask the valuer to confirm how it applies to your property and purpose.
Questions to ask before you instruct a valuer
- Is the valuer, and the firm, on the current register kept by the Valuers Registration Board?
- What is the purpose of the valuation, and which basis of value will be reported, for example market value, forced-sale value or insurance reinstatement value?
- To whom will the report be addressed, and will the lender, court or other party who relies on it accept a report addressed that way?
- Which documents does the valuer need, such as a copy of the title, an official search, approved plans and any lease or tenancy agreements?
- Has the fee been confirmed in writing, showing the scale applied and how VAT and disbursements will be charged?
This article is general information, not a valuation or advice on any particular property.