Estimate conveyancing legal fees, VAT, and disbursements for buying or transferring property in Kenya, based on the LSK scale of fees.
Buying or transferring property in Kenya carries conveyancing legal fees set on a sliding percentage scale by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), on top of VAT and out-of-pocket disbursements. This Property Legal Fees Calculator takes your property's purchase price or market value and estimates the advocate's fee, VAT, and disbursements to budget for.
How Are Conveyancing Legal Fees Calculated in Kenya?
The LSK Advocates (Remuneration) Order charges conveyancing fees on a sliding scale of property value: 1.5% on the first KES 500,000, 1.25% on the next portion up to KES 5,000,000, 1.0% up to KES 20,000,000, and 0.75% on anything above that. Each band is charged only on the portion of the price that falls within it — the same way PAYE tax bands work — so a KES 10 million property is not charged 1.0% on the whole value, only on the slice between KES 5,000,001 and KES 10,000,000.
Does VAT Apply to Legal Fees?
Yes. Advocates' professional fees are a VATable service, so 16% VAT is charged on top of the calculated legal fee — not on the property price itself. This calculator adds VAT automatically once it works out the base fee across the bands.
What Are Disbursements?
Disbursements are out-of-pocket costs an advocate pays to third parties during a conveyance — official searches, registration fees, consent fees, and similar statutory charges — billed separately from the professional fee. This calculator estimates disbursements at roughly 0.5% of the property value as a starting budget figure; the actual total depends on the specific searches and registrations your transaction requires.
Is Stamp Duty Included in This Figure?
No. Stamp duty (4% for residential property, 2% for agricultural land) is a separate government charge paid to KRA before a title can transfer, and it is not part of an advocate's legal fee. Budget for it separately using KRA's published stamp duty rates before totaling your full transaction cost.
How Do I Use the Property Legal Fees Calculator?
Enter the property's purchase price or market value, whichever is higher — the same base used for stamp duty. The calculator applies the LSK scale band by band, adds 16% VAT on the resulting fee, then adds the disbursements estimate to show your total conveyancing cost.
Verify with an advocate: This calculator applies the LSK Advocates (Remuneration) Order scale as a guide figure only — actual fees can vary by negotiation (subject to the LSK minimum), transaction complexity, and the specific disbursements required. Confirm the exact quote with your instructed advocate or the Law Society of Kenya before budgeting for a property transaction.
What is the LSK scale of fees for property legal fees in Kenya?
The Law Society of Kenya's Advocates (Remuneration) Order charges conveyancing fees on a sliding scale: 1.5% on the first KES 500,000 of property value, 1.25% on the next portion up to KES 5,000,000, 1.0% up to KES 20,000,000, and 0.75% on anything above that, with each band applying only to the portion of the price within it.
Is VAT charged on top of legal fees in Kenya?
Yes. Advocates' professional fees attract 16% VAT, which is added to the calculated legal fee separately from the property's purchase price.
What disbursements are added to legal fees?
Disbursements cover out-of-pocket costs such as official searches, registration fees, and consent fees that an advocate pays to third parties on your behalf, billed in addition to their professional fee.