Trust
Our 7-Point Landlord Verification
Rental fraud is the single biggest risk in Nairobi's furnished market, and it is almost always the same trick: money paid to someone who does not own the unit. Every landlord we introduce passes seven checks before we send you their number, and we run them again every 90 days.
1. National ID / passport check
We confirm the landlord is a real, identifiable person or registered company before a listing goes live.
2. Proof of ownership
Title deed, allotment letter or a lease that grants the right to sublet. No document, no listing.
3. Photo verification
Photos must match the actual unit. We request date-stamped images and compare them against inspection.
4. Price validation
Rent is cross-checked against Knight Frank, HassConsult and Cytonn market ranges for that neighbourhood and type.
5. Physical inspection
A member of our team visits the property, checks water, power backup, security and finish.
6. Tenant references
Where a previous tenant exists, we ask them directly about the landlord and the unit.
7. Re-verification every 90 days
Listings that fail re-verification are removed within 24 hours. Freshness is part of the check.
Why we re-verify every 90 days
A verification done once is a snapshot. Ownership changes, units get let, phone numbers are recycled, and prices drift with the market. Re-running the checks quarterly is what keeps the index honest — and it is why we sometimes tell you a unit you found elsewhere is no longer real.
Red flags to walk away from
- A viewing fee. No genuine landlord charges you to look at an empty apartment.
- Pressure to pay a deposit today to 'hold' a unit you have not seen in person or on live video.
- Payment requested to a personal M-Pesa or bank account in a name that is not the owner's or the registered company's.
- Rent priced well below the neighbourhood band. In Nairobi, a 40% discount on a Kilimani 2-bedroom is not a bargain, it is bait.
- No proof of ownership: no title deed, allotment letter, or head lease permitting sublet.
- The 'caretaker' handles everything and the owner is permanently unreachable or abroad.
- Photos that reverse-image-search to a listing in another city or country.
How to protect yourself, even without us
Ask for national ID or company registration plus proof of ownership. View in person, or on a live video call where the landlord walks the corridor and the street, not a pre-recorded clip. Cross-check the asking rent against the published band for that neighbourhood. Pay only to the owner's own account, get a written receipt, and insist on a signed lease that names the owner. If anything is rushed, walk.
Kenya's Data Protection Act 2019 also applies to your details: nobody needs your ID copy before you have seen a unit.
We are NOT an estate agent
We are a matching service. We connect you directly with verified landlords. You deal with them, you view with them, and you pay them. We never hold your money, we never sign your lease, and we never manage or let property on anyone's behalf. We earn from landlords, not from tenants. No tenant fees. Ever.
This positioning is deliberate: under Kenya's Estate Agents Act (Cap 533), a pure introduction and matching service is not an estate agency practice. If anyone contacts you claiming to hold keys or take a deposit on our behalf, that is not us — report it to us immediately.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly are the seven checks?
Identity, proof of ownership or right to sublet, physical inspection of the unit, price sanity check against published market bands, direct contactability of the owner, tenant or reference checks where available, and re-verification every 90 days.
Does verification guarantee nothing goes wrong?
No, and we will not claim otherwise. It removes the fake-landlord category of risk, which is the one that costs people money. Disputes about a leaking tap or a returned deposit are still between you and the owner.
What if a verified landlord behaves badly?
Tell us. We remove landlords from the index for charging viewing fees, misrepresenting a unit, or refusing to return a deposit without cause, and we will say so to anyone who asks about them afterwards.
Do you hold my deposit in escrow?
Never. We do not touch tenant money at any point. Escrow-style 'holding' accounts are themselves a common scam pattern, so we stay entirely outside the payment path.
Can I verify a landlord I found elsewhere?
Send us the details on WhatsApp. We will tell you what we know and what we would ask before you pay anything, whether or not the unit came from us.
Get matched with a verified landlord
Every introduction we make has cleared all seven checks within the last 90 days.