A Westlands apartment move often means moving through a building you share with offices, shops, restaurants or a hotel. That changes the plan. The lift, the loading bay and the security desk may serve businesses first, so your move has to fit around their working hours and deliveries. Before you fix a date for moving into an apartment in Westlands, get four things from the building’s facility manager: which lift you can use and when, a loading bay slot, whether a lorry fits under the basement or loading area roof, and how the crew must register at security. Then plan around weekday office traffic on Waiyaki Way.
This guide covers what is different about mixed-use towers, the questions to ask, how to deal with parking and loading, and how to time the move.
Why a mixed-use building changes the move
Westlands is one of Nairobi’s main commercial districts outside the city centre, home to bank and company offices, shopping centres such as Sarit Centre and Westgate, hotels and a large apartment market. Some towers combine homes with offices or shops in the same building.
In a purely residential block, the management mostly answers to residents. In a mixed-use tower, the facility manager also has commercial tenants to keep happy. In practice, that can mean:
- Restricted hours. Moves may be pushed to early mornings, evenings or weekends so that furniture is not crossing the lobby while customers and office staff are coming and going.
- A shared service lift. The goods lift may also carry office deliveries, restaurant supplies and cleaning trolleys, so a booked slot matters more than in a residential block.
- A shared loading bay. Shops and offices receive deliveries through the same bay, and a lorry that overstays its slot can block them.
- Stricter security. The security desk may ask for the moving company’s details, each crew member’s name and identity card, and the lorry’s registration number in advance.
Rules differ from one building to the next, which is why the first step is to ask for them in writing.
Questions to ask the facility manager
Send these by email at least a week before your preferred date, and keep the reply:
- Which lift may we use for the move, what are its inside measurements, and what weight can it carry?
- How do we book the service lift and the loading bay, and how long is each slot?
- What is the clearance height of the basement entrance or loading area?
- Which days and hours are moves allowed? Are weekends permitted?
- What does security need before moving day: company name, crew names and identity cards, vehicle registration?
- Must the lift and corridors be protected with pads or boards, and who provides them?
- Is there a move-in deposit or damage bond, and how is it refunded?
- Are there busy delivery times at the loading bay that we should avoid?
- Does the service lift run on the backup generator during a power cut?
If you are leaving another building, ask the same questions there. You need one moving day, and a time window within it, that both buildings accept.
Loading bays and lorry size
Basement entrances in some towers are built for cars. A moving lorry may be too tall to go down the ramp, even if the building has a loading area below.
Once you have the clearance height, share it with your mover. There are usually three ways to handle a low entrance:
- Use a smaller vehicle. A lower vehicle may fit the ramp, though a large household may need more than one trip.
- Load from the street. The lorry stands at the kerb or the gate, and the crew carries goods to the service lift. This takes longer and may need more hands.
- Use a surface loading area. Some buildings have a ground-level bay at the back or side. Ask whether one exists and whether you can book it.
Space Move matches the vehicle to the size of the move, and the survey is the place to raise access limits like this. Show the ramp entrance and the loading bay during a video survey, not only the furniture.
Parking on the street
If the lorry must use county-controlled parking, confirm the current vehicle category, applicable charge and official payment channel before moving day. Agree whether parking is included in the quotation or paid separately. A payment does not by itself authorise blocking an entrance or unloading where the building prohibits it.
Ask your mover whether on-street parking is included in the quote or paid separately, and ask the building whether the lorry can wait inside the compound instead. A lorry that blocks a building entrance or a shop frontage is likely to draw complaints from management and other tenants, so agree where it will stand before the day.
Timing a move around weekday office traffic
Westlands fills with office traffic on weekdays, and Waiyaki Way is the main route through the area. Roadworks add to the pressure. In September 2026, partial closures for footbridge works on Waiyaki Way between Karuna Close and Westlands Roundabout, and maintenance near the Nairobi Expressway’s Westlands exit, added to heavy congestion on Waiyaki Way.
Four things help:
- Move at the weekend if the building allows it. Office traffic is usually lighter, and commercial tenants are less likely to need the lift and loading bay.
- On a weekday, avoid the rush hours. An early start lets the lorry reach Westlands before offices fill up, or you can load at the old address first and arrive once the morning peak has eased.
- Book early for month-end. Space Move recommends booking at least 3 to 5 days ahead, and earlier for end-of-month moves, which are its busiest period. Your building’s own notice period may be longer, so ask the facility manager first.
- Check road advisories the week before. Moja Expressway and road authorities publish notices about exit closures and works. A diversion on your moving day can add a long delay to a short journey.
Large furniture and high floors
Before moving day, measure your largest items, usually the sofa, wardrobe, bed base and fridge, against the inside of the service lift and its door. If a piece will not fit, decide early whether it can be taken apart, carried up the stairs or left behind. On a high floor, a stair carry takes far longer than a lift run, so tell your mover in advance. Our guide to moving into a Kileleshwa apartment covers measuring the lift and handling a building with no lift.
Protect what you share. In a building with offices and shops, scuffed lift walls or a scratched lobby floor can cost you part of your deposit. On a Space Move house move, furniture is wrapped in protective blankets and stretch wrap before loading. Walk the route with the caretaker or facility manager before the first item goes up, and photograph any existing marks.
When the two buildings’ rules do not match
Mixed-use towers may allow moves only in narrow windows. If your old building releases you on a Friday afternoon and the new one only accepts moves on Saturday morning, there is a gap. Short-term storage can bridge it: load at the old address in its window, hold the goods, and deliver in the new building’s window. Space Move’s storage in Nairobi runs on monthly terms with a one-month minimum, and the house moving team can load goods straight into a unit. For a gap of a single night, ask your mover how and where goods will be held.
A handover plan for the loading bay and service lift
Give one person responsibility for confirming access with the facility manager. That person should have the booking reference or written approval, the security contact and the agreed vehicle details. On a shared loading bay, ask what happens if a supplier overruns the previous slot. A reserved lift is of little use if the lorry cannot reach the unloading point.
Record any limit on how long goods can remain in the lobby. Some buildings need boxes moved directly upstairs rather than staged beside reception. Tell the crew which route is approved and where protective coverings are required. Keep fire exits, pedestrian routes and commercial entrances clear throughout the move.
Can a Westlands apartment move happen after office hours?
Only if both buildings and the moving company agree. Evening access may reduce one kind of traffic while creating another problem, such as a security restriction, unavailable caretaker or limited lift access. Confirm lighting and staffing too. A quiet road does not make a closed receiving building usable.
What should the final handover record include?
Check the inventory, note any unresolved item, inspect shared areas with management and confirm the process for releasing a damage bond. Keep these records separate from the tenancy deposit, which may involve a different person and different conditions.
Use the house-moving checklist to coordinate keys and access. If fragile items need preparation before the loading slot, book the packing service as part of the agreed scope. For the broader pricing factors, consult the moving-cost guide.
Before you confirm the date
Once you have the building’s written rules, send them to your mover with the floor number, the lift measurements, the basement clearance height, photos of the loading bay and entrance, and a list of your larger items. Our moving team in Westlands use those details in the survey, which can be done by video call or in person, to plan the vehicle, crew size and timing around your building’s rules.