What property management costs in Nairobi.

Goldstay charges 10% of collected rent for full long-term management and 20% of revenue for Airbnb management and short-stay. Tenant finding on its own is a one-time fee of one month's rent, and property sourcing for buyers is free. The market in Nairobi generally runs between 8% and 15% for long-term and 15% and 25% for short-stay, so we sit inside the normal band. The difference is what the percentage covers and what is added on top of it afterwards.

20% of revenue, which covers listing creation and photography, dynamic pricing, guest screening and communication, turnover cleaning coordination, maintenance and a monthly revenue statement with a USD payout. There is no setup fee for building the listing and no commission taken from the cleaners or the platform.

In Kenya, 8% to 15% of collected rent is the normal range for full long-term management and 15% to 25% of revenue for short-stay. Below about 8% the manager is almost certainly running a rent-collection service rather than managing anything, and above about 15% you should expect something specific in return and ask what it is. But the percentage on its own tells you very little. A 10% fee with a setup charge, a markup on every repair and a fee to leave costs more over a year than a 12% fee with none of those, so the only number worth comparing is the total you will actually pay.

Our fee covers all of our labour: finding and vetting the tenant, the lease, rent collection and chasing arrears, inspections, coordinating and supervising repairs, the statutory tax filing and withholding, and the monthly statement and payout. What it does not cover is third-party money — repairs, utilities, service charge, insurance and taxes are yours, billed at exactly what we were charged with nothing added. Expenses over USD 50 come with a photo receipt and anything over USD 250 needs your written approval before we spend it.

With us, no. Both management fees are a percentage of money actually collected, so a month with no rent and no bookings carries no fee. That is worth checking wherever you are comparing, because a fee charged on rent due rather than rent collected, or a flat monthly retainer, both keep charging you through a vacancy or a defaulting tenant. Ours does not, which means an empty month costs us what it costs you.

No. Onboarding a property costs nothing, whichever service you take. The first payment we receive is our percentage of the first rent or booking revenue we collect for you.

The fee buys our work, not third-party costs. Maintenance and repairs, utilities, service charge, insurance and statutory taxes are yours, billed at what we were charged with no markup. Expenses over USD 50 carry a photo receipt and anything over USD 250 needs your written approval first. Furnishing a unit is also yours to pay for, but it is a separate service rather than a pass-through expense: it is sold at a published fixed price covering specification, sourcing, delivery, installation and photography, and the furniture is yours outright on installation.

On headline percentage we are unremarkable and we would rather say so. Nairobi long-term management generally runs 8% to 15% and short-stay 15% to 25%, and some managers publish those numbers while others will not quote until you call. Where the totals actually diverge is underneath the headline: a one-off setup or onboarding charge, a markup or commission on maintenance, a letting fee charged again at each renewal, or a fee payable on exit. We charge none of the four, and there are six written guarantees behind the percentage rather than only a service description. Those are the questions worth asking whoever you are comparing us with.

No. Both management fees are a percentage of money actually collected, so an empty month costs you nothing in fees. That is deliberate: it means a vacancy costs us too, and we have the same interest in ending it that you do.

A one-time fee of one month's rent, payable when the lease is signed and the tenant has moved in. Nothing is due if we do not place anyone, and there is no monthly charge afterwards because we are not managing the property. If you move onto full management later there is no re-onboarding fee.

The structure is the same. Ghana has its own tax treatment, including an 8% withholding on residential rental income rather than Kenya's 7.5% MRI, so the deductions on your statement differ even where our percentage does not.