A bank or SACCO uses your valuation to decide how much it can lend against a property and what it could recover if the loan goes wrong. A report that answers every question the credit officer will ask goes through first time. One that leaves gaps comes back, and each round trip costs days.
This checklist reflects what banks in Kenya commonly expect. Every bank also has its own valuation guidelines, so always check the instructing bank’s requirements as well.
1. The instruction
- Who instructed you: the bank, branch and officer, and the borrower or owner where relevant
- The purpose of the valuation, for example security for a mortgage or a further charge
- The date of inspection and the date of valuation
- Your reference and the bank’s reference
2. The property, identified beyond doubt
- Title number, with the registration section and parcel number exactly as on the title
- The registered proprietor
- Tenure: freehold or leasehold, and for a lease, the term and how much of it is unexpired
- Encumbrances and restrictions found on the official search
- The land area, as registered and as found on site if they differ
A credit officer will compare these details with the title and the search. If any of them disagree, say why in the report rather than leaving them to find it.
3. Location and site
- County, area and neighbourhood, with the main access route
- GPS coordinates and a location map or satellite extract
- Services available: water, electricity, sewer, roads
- The site’s shape, topography and boundaries, and whether beacons were found
4. Improvements
- What is built: type, construction, accommodation and approximate age
- Floor areas and how they were measured
- Condition, repairs needed and any work in progress
5. Planning and use
- The current use, and the permitted use under the title or zoning
- Any approvals seen, or the absence of them where it matters
6. Market evidence and method
- The valuation method used, and why it suits this property
- Comparable transactions, with their location, size, date and price, and how each one was adjusted
- A short commentary on the local market
7. The figures
Most bank reports in Kenya give three values. Make sure every figure is the same wherever it appears.
- Market value
- Forced sale value
- Insurance or reinstatement value for the buildings
8. Assumptions, limits and the valuer
- The assumptions you made and the limits of what you inspected
- A statement of your independence from the borrower
- The valuer’s name, registration with the Valuers Registration Board and current practising certificate
- Signature and date
9. Appendices
- Photographs, labelled, covering the property and its surroundings
- A location map or satellite extract
- A copy of the official search and of the title
- The registry index map or survey plan where relevant
- The letter of instruction
- Your practising certificate and professional indemnity cover, where the bank asks for them
Why reports most often come back
- Figures that do not match. The value in the summary differs from the one in the body or the covering letter.
- An expired certificate. The practising certificate or indemnity cover attached has lapsed.
- A missing or old official search. The search is absent, or too old for the bank’s rules.
- Unlabelled photographs. The officer cannot tell what each photo shows.
PropSense360 is designed around these failure points. Figures flow from one record into every part of the report, certificates are tracked against their expiry dates, and appendices are assembled in your order. See how reports work.
This guide is general information for valuation professionals, not legal or regulatory advice. Banks' requirements change; check the instructing bank's current guidelines.