Renting Together: A Practical Guide for Couples Moving In

By Makao Match Team

Moving in together is exciting, and it is also the first time many couples in Kenya share a lease, a deposit and a monthly budget. Do it thoughtfully and a shared home brings you closer. Do it casually and money becomes the thing you argue about. A little planning up front saves a lot of tension later.

Put both names on the paperwork

If you are both paying, you should both appear on the lease. A joint tenancy means shared rights as well as shared responsibility, and it protects the partner who would otherwise have no legal standing if things went wrong. Splitting the deposit and agreeing, in writing between yourselves, who contributed what also spares you a painful conversation if you ever part ways.

Agree the money rules before the first bill

Decide early how you will split rent, utilities and the shared costs like internet and gas. Many couples find a simple joint pool works, each contributing a set amount at the start of the month into one account or M-Pesa arrangement that pays the landlord and the bills. Whatever you choose, pay rent by Paybill and keep the confirmations, because clean records matter just as much for two people as for one.

Choose a space that fits two lives

A place that suited you solo may strain you as a pair. Look for enough room to have a little distance from each other, decent storage for two people's things, and a layout that works if one of you works from home. Water reliability and security matter more, not less, now that two of you depend on the home. Browse together on Makao Match, shortlist your favourites, and view them as a team so the decision, like the home, is genuinely shared.