Become a Verified Property Agent: Kenya

Do I need EARB registration to join?

If you practise in Kenya, yes, you should hold it, and we will ask to see it. The Estate Agents Registration Board says only registered and licensed agents with a current practising annual certificate may conduct estate agency. We do not replace that. Our check is an extra layer that tells a buyer in Uganda or abroad that a real person stands behind your profile.

EARB's steps ask for a completed form, certified copies of academic qualifications, a national ID or passport and a Certificate of Good Conduct, then vetting and an interview. A successful applicant gets a registration certificate and a unique registration number. EARB's member portal adds that individual members need at least a KCSE certificate, two years of experience, a recommendation from a registered agent and Kenyan citizenship. Keep your certificate and number to hand when you apply with us. If you are not yet registered, finish that first. Our page how to check a Kenyan property agent is registered shows how buyers check what you tell them.

What does our verification involve?

Verification has a standard step and two optional ones. The standard step is the same for every agent in every country we cover, so buyers can compare agents fairly.

1. Identity check. We check your national ID and a live selfie. When it passes, your profile shows a Verified badge.
2. Registration evidence. For Kenya, we ask for your EARB registration and current practising certificate and note them on your profile.
3. Optional interview badge. An office or phone interview adds an extra badge for that month. It is paid, and only offered after the standard check.
4. Optional title checks. Land-title checks at the registry are a paid service, required above a value threshold for listings that need them.

The full method is in how we verify agents: ID, selfie, title check, interview. We do not claim to replace a regulator. In Kenya the regulator is EARB, and we ask you to keep that registration current.

What are cross-border referrals?

Land & Property lists property in Uganda. Many buyers of Ugandan land and homes live outside Uganda, and some are Kenyan investors or Kenyans who want a second market. A verified Kenyan agent can introduce those clients to Ugandan listings and can bring a Kenyan client to an escorted site visit in Uganda. Inquiries on our listings go straight to the listing agent, so you deal with the client directly.

Two points keep this honest. First, the law differs between the countries, and your client needs a Ugandan advocate for a Ugandan purchase. A foreigner in Uganda, a Kenyan included, can hold a lease of up to 99 years but not mailo or freehold land, under section 41 of the Land Act (2023 revised edition). Read can a Kenyan buy land in Uganda and Uganda vs Kenya land tenure compared before you advise a client. Second, do not promise returns or titles you have not checked.

Can I list Kenyan property?

Our listings today are Uganda property, and we have no for-sale pages for Nairobi or elsewhere in Kenya. Our Kenya content is guidance: tenure and tax facts, and rental guides for Nairobi estates. If you hold Kenyan stock and want to know what we can do with it, ask our team before you prepare listings. We would rather say we are not sure than promise a feature we have not built.

What you can do now is build a verified profile and use it for Ugandan referrals. If you advise on Kenyan transfers, our Kenya land ownership guide and Ardhisasa land search guide show how we describe the Kenyan side, so your client sees the same facts from you and from us.

What does it cost?

Agents list free at launch. Later, agents will pay to list, and there will be verified-agent subscription plans and paid featured listings. Land-title checks and the interview badge are paid extras. We have not published Kenyan shilling prices for these, so we do not quote any here. See verified agent plans and pricing for the plans as they are announced.

A note on EARB's own fees. Its pages show different figures: one registration page says KSh 1,000, and its member portal lists an application fee, an interview fee, a registration fee and an annual practising certificate fee. Because they conflict, we do not repeat a number. Ask EARB for the current schedule.

How do I apply?

Start from the East Africa agent page, join as a verified agent, or from our Uganda agent route at become a verified property agent in Uganda. Have these ready: your national ID, a phone for the selfie step, your EARB registration number and your current practising certificate. Once verified, you can fill in your profile, and buyers can see your badge.

To see what your clients will see, browse our listings. For the wider regional picture, go back to the East Africa hub. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• East Africa Property Hub: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda
• How to Check a Kenyan Property Agent Is Registered
• Verified Agents in Tanzania and Rwanda
• Kenya Land Ownership Guide for Ugandan Investors
• Become a Verified Property Agent in Uganda
• How We Verify Agents: ID, Selfie, Title Check, Interview