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Nairobi is an international city, one of the five United Nations headquarter cities, and now home to many African and regional headquarters. For the many professional families that arrive in the city, the first and biggest choice is where to live. Fastrack and @home bring you a guide to relocation and the zen of the city's different suburbs.

Finding a new home anywhere can be intimidating, especially if you don’t know your way around town. But it is important to get your location right. Will you find it easy to get the services you need, will you find that all your newest friends live far away, will the children be trekking three hours a day to get to school?

With traffic increasingly congested in Nairobi, and journey times sometimes painfully slow, being close to what matters to your family has become far more important.

Most people start by choosing a school for the children and then a home close by. The commute to work is also a factor. For all but those who work in the Central Business District or the Industrial Area, the city's many, and widespread suburbs each offer almost every service. All of them have good shopping centres and many restaurants, most have good access to medical care, and each has its showcase schools.

But the character and mix in each is just a little different – as listed below.

However, even before you dip in to select your 'feel', you need to be clear on the rules from the organisation you're joining. Many have guidelines on which areas they recommend and their security requirements. For example, some organizations prefer to centralize all personnel in a specific suburb for security reasons. Some will only rent double-story properties and some insist on an electric fence. Some will only rent houses in gated communities, whereas others are happy with stand-alone properties, provided security measures are in place.

An additional headache is that advertising is often misleading and standards of housing vary hugely. Truth be told, you might well need some flexibility and patience when the agent is yet again late / doesn’t turn up / the house you’ve gone to see has actually already been let out / the caretaker has disappeared with the keys… all facts of Nairobi life. But all less likely with the more reputable agents.

Across the different types of agencies, a relocation agent will vet houses on your behalf based on a brief, and show you houses through any agent - where estate agents will only show you houses on their own books.

However, some of the smaller estate agencies specialize in specific areas, and will often know the houses in their areas better than any larger companies handling mixed lettings city-wide.

We have listed the reputable agencies of every type.

Finally, when looking at properties in Naiorbi, there are things to keep in mind apart from how many bedrooms the house has, what the garden looks like and how the security stacks up. Important issues are water (some areas have shortages so it’s good to make sure the house has large storage tanks), electrics, plumbing and problems with damp. If you are lucky enough to find a landlord who really cares about the house, the problems will get fixed, but if you sign up to a problem already in place it may end up being you or your company that is left to resolve it.

Always, too, ask for a draft lease contract and run it past a lawyer. Kenyan leases tend to be long, full of “legalese” and in favour of the landlord. It is fairly standard to have to pay a 2-3 month deposit and to pay rent quarterly in advance, although these terms are negotiable. The standard notice period is 3 months and the standard length of contract 2 years, but some contracts don't allow notice to be served, unless you are leaving the country!

You should also be handed the house in a clean, newly painted state with all locks, fasteners, bathroom taps etc. in working condition. It is then your responsibility to return the house to the same condition when you leave.

Nairobi's house rentals also generally come completely bare – furnished lets are not common – so bear in mind that when you arrive there will be no fridge, cooker or lamp shades, and sometimes not even a lightbulb left in place.

Nairobi's suburbs:

Gigiri / Runda – the UN hub

The United Nations buildings, the American and Canadian Embassies and the largest American housing compound are all located around Gigiri, making this side of town very convenient for anyone involved in those lines of work. Schools to look at are the International School, Peponi School or the German School. The Village Market shopping centre has everything you will need in Nairobi, from shops to restaurants to cinemas to water slides to a brilliant hair salon (Salon Malibu) and if you’re after sports, both Windsor Club and Muthaiga Club are close by. Both Runda and Gigiri have nice, large, secure houses, most of them modern and rental prices are fairly high.

Muthaiga – the Ambassadorial hub

Muthaiga with its wide leafy avenues, well kept lawns, large gardens with majestic old colonial buildings is favoured by many Ambassadors and other senior Embassy personnel, as well as many long-term expatriates and Kenyans. It is peaceful and beautiful with the Club and Gertrude’s Gardens Children’s hospital at your doorstep. There are two shopping centres, and you are close to the Village Market as well. Schools-wise, you’d probably look at ISK and Peponi School.

Spring Valley / Loresho / Lakeview – county life

Slightly more understated than Muthaiga, these suburbs are on the other side of Westlands, very close to ISK and Peponi schools. Lakeview is a lovely, quiet, secure area with houses from an old coffee plantation era, lots of character and lovely gardens, but quite hard to get into as the houses are very popular and rents are reasonable. Loresho is a mixture of old and new, and in Spring Valley you will find anything from old colonial houses to gated compounds and apartments. You are close to the hustle and bustle of Westlands with numerous malls and restaurants, yet away from the noise, traffic and pollution.

Lavington / Kileleshwa / Kilimani – up-market city living

These areas are much closer to the CBD and used to be the areas favoured by Embassy personnel and other expatriates. Riverside Drive still has a fair few Embassies located along it, and these areas are very convenient if you need to commute to town. Schools to visit in these areas are Kenton College and Braeburn school. Stand alone houses tend to be quite old and some are in poor repair, but there are numerous apartments and town houses. There are also excellent shopping and entertainment centres such as the Junction and the Yaya Centre, and one of the best selections of good restaurants. Be it Italian, Chinese, Japanese or Lebanese, you’ll find it in Kilimani! These areas hum.

Karen / Langata – the Wild Wild West

Home to Karen Blixen’s coffee farm, Karen and Langata are located on the west side of Nairobi and generally favoured by long term expatriates, white Kenyans, Brits and South Africans. The suburbs are large, the plots even larger, there are horses everywhere and beautiful old colonial houses as well as the newer gated compounds. No apartments! The area has very good schools – Banda, Brookhouse and Hillcrest - and there are a couple of shopping centres and some very good restaurants, as well as the Karen Country Club with all sports facilities.

Below is a list of estate agents and relocation companies to get you started:

Knight Frank

Lloyd Masika

Hass Consult

Tyson’s

Fastrack Relocation & Real Estate

Karengata Property Managers

Property Link

Geogladys Holdings

Karibuni Relocation Company

Janet Purchase

If you have had good experiences with an agent not listed here, please do recommend them.

Witten and compiled by Raila Jones