Most repairs that never get done were never properly reported. They were mentioned to a caretaker, in a corridor, or on a call that nobody wrote down, and then they lived only in two people's memories, one of whom had eleven other things to remember.
The fix is not persistence. It is making the report into a record.
Report it in writing, even if you also call
A message costs nothing and does three things a phone call cannot: it fixes the date, it fixes what you actually said, and it exists tomorrow.
Send it to whoever the lease names: the agency, the landlord, the maintenance line. If your agency has an app or a portal, use that first, because a report logged in the system is the one that appears on somebody's list.
Say five things
- Where. Unit, and the room or fixture.
- What. Plainly. "Water coming through the ceiling in the bathroom", not "problem with the bathroom".
- Since when. The date you first noticed it.
- How bad. Whether the unit is still usable, and whether it is getting worse.
- When you're available. The hours a technician can actually get in. Half of all repair delays are access, not parts.
Attach a photograph. A short video of a dripping joint or a sparking socket removes an entire round of clarifying questions.
Say if it's urgent, and why
Some things cannot wait: an electrical fault, a gas smell, a burst pipe, a failed lock on an external door, anything making the unit unsafe. Say so explicitly and call as well as writing.
Everything else is ordinary, and ordinary repairs deserve a reasonable period. Chasing a slow tap on day two costs you credibility you will want on the day something serious happens.
Follow up on a schedule, not on a feeling
If you have heard nothing after a reasonable period, reply on the original message rather than starting a new one. That keeps the whole history in one thread, with dates, which is exactly what you need if it ever has to be escalated.
Keep every reply. If a repair is refused, ask for the reason in writing.
What not to do
Don't withhold rent to force a repair. It rarely works, it changes the argument from their obligation to your arrears, and it puts your deposit at risk.
Don't arrange your own contractor and deduct the cost, unless the lease specifically allows it or you have written agreement. Get the agreement first, in a message, including the amount.
What good looks like from the other side
An agency handling this properly logs the report the day it arrives, assigns it to someone by name, tells you it has been assigned, and records what the repair eventually cost against that unit, so a landlord asking "why is this unit expensive?" gets an answer rather than a shrug.
That is what does with maintenance: logged, assigned, and costed against the unit it belonged to. But the part that matters most is the part you control: putting it in writing, with a date and a photograph, the first time.
Who is responsible for what
Most repair disagreements are really disagreements about whose item it is, and the answer is usually clearer than it feels in the moment.
Normally the landlord's, because it is the building rather than the use of it: the structure, roof and walls; plumbing and drainage; the electrical installation; the water supply, tank and pump; anything that came with the unit and has failed through age or fault, such as a water heater, cooker, window catches, doors and locks; damp and leaks; and shared systems like lifts, gates, borehole and common-area lighting.
Normally the tenant's, because it follows from use: consumables such as bulbs and batteries; keeping drains clear of what you put down them; damage caused by you, your household or your visitors; and small routine upkeep where the agreement says so.
Usually argued about: blocked drains, where the cause decides it; a burst pipe inside the unit, where age or a knock decides it; pest control, which varies with the cause and the agreement; and anything a previous tenant left behind, which is why your move-in record matters here as much as it does for the deposit.
Two things settle these faster than argument. The first is what your tenancy agreement says, read before you report rather than after. The second is the condition record from the day you moved in, which is what distinguishes a pre-existing fault from one that appeared on your watch.
What counts as urgent, and what to do about it
Urgent means the unit is unsafe or becoming unlivable, not that it is annoying. Call as well as writing, and say plainly why it is urgent:
- Electrical faults: sparking, burning smells, exposed conductors, a tripping board that will not reset.
- A gas smell.
- A burst pipe or a leak you cannot stop.
- No water at all, or sewage backing up.
- A failed lock, broken door or broken window on an external opening. That is a security failure, and it should be treated as one.
- Structural damage, or a ceiling that is sagging or wet.
Do what is safe in the meantime and no more: isolate the water at the stopcock, turn off the affected circuit, and get out and call a professional if there is any smell of gas. Take a photograph before you fix anything temporarily, because a temporary fix erases the evidence of how bad it was.
Everything else is ordinary, and ordinary repairs deserve a reasonable period measured in days rather than hours. Chasing a slow tap on day two spends credibility you will want on the day something serious happens.
When nothing happens
A sequence, not an escalation of tone. Most of it resolves in the first two steps.
- Day 3 to 7: reply on the original thread. "Following up on the report of the 4th, still outstanding." The thread is the point: one place, in date order.
- Day 7 to 14: ask for a date, in writing. A specific commitment is harder to let slip than a general acknowledgement, and it converts a silence into something you can point at.
- Then escalate by name. From caretaker to property manager, from manager to the agency's principal, from agent to landlord. Ask who it has been assigned to and what the reference is.
- Formal letter. A short, dated letter setting out what was reported, when, every follow-up, the effect on the unit, and what you are asking for, with photographs attached. Send it by a route that creates proof of delivery. Most matters stop here.
- Take advice on the route that applies. Depending on the tenancy, that may be the Rent Restriction Tribunal, the Business Premises Rent Tribunal for controlled business premises, or the courts. Which applies depends on your agreement and the premises, so ask someone who can read it.
Alongside all of that, keep the file: your original report, every follow-up with its date, every reply, photographs showing the progression, and a note of any cost you have incurred because of the fault. A repair dispute is decided almost entirely by which side has that file.
Two things that weaken a good case
Withholding rent. It converts a dispute about the landlord's obligation into a dispute about your arrears, and it puts your deposit and your tenancy at risk. If the situation is serious enough that you are considering it, that is the moment for advice, not for a unilateral decision.
Fixing it yourself and deducting the cost. Unless the lease specifically allows it, or you have written agreement including the amount, you are likely to end up funding it. Where the landlord agrees in a message, get the amount agreed in that same message and keep the invoice and the receipt.
The exception both ways is emergency mitigation: stopping a flood, making a broken external door secure. Do what is necessary, tell them immediately, photograph everything, and keep the receipts.
Common questions
How do I report a repair so it actually gets fixed?
In writing, through the channel the lease names, with five things: where, what, since when, how bad, and when access is possible, plus a photograph. A written report fixes the date and survives everyone's memory, which is exactly what a verbal one does not. And if your agency runs a tenant app that logs reports and shows their status, that is the channel to use first.
What repairs is a landlord responsible for in Kenya?
Broadly, the structure and the installations that came with the unit, meaning roof, walls, plumbing, drainage, electrical installation, water supply and shared systems, plus anything that has failed through age or fault rather than through your use. Your tenancy agreement should say so, and it is worth reading before you report.
How long does a landlord have to fix something?
The agreement may state a period; otherwise the standard is what is reasonable for the fault, which is hours for something unsafe and days for something ordinary. Asking for a specific date in writing is the most effective way to turn "reasonable" into something concrete.
Can I withhold rent until a repair is done?
It is not a safe route, and it usually shifts the argument onto your arrears rather than their obligation. Keep paying, keep the written trail, and escalate through the steps above.
Can I fix it myself and deduct the cost from rent?
Only where the lease allows it or the landlord agrees in writing, with the amount agreed before the work. Otherwise expect to carry the cost, however reasonable the repair was.
What if the caretaker says they will handle it?
Send the written report anyway, to the channel the lease names, and mention that you have also spoken to the caretaker. A verbal report that never reaches the list is the single most common reason a repair simply does not happen.
Should I keep chasing on WhatsApp?
Yes, but always on the same thread rather than in new messages, and export the thread if the matter becomes serious. One dated sequence in one place is worth more than a dozen messages scattered across several chats. The general principle is in a paper trail that survives a question.