The Broken Property Market
If you've tried to find an apartment to rent in Nairobi, Kampala, or Dar es Salaam, you know the pain. You call a number on a Facebook post, the agent says the apartment is available, you make a trip across town, and you discover it was rented three weeks ago. The agent then shows you something 40% above your budget, in a worse location. You go home and start again tomorrow.
The East African property market is plagued by: (1) fake and outdated listings, (2) agents who collect "viewing fees" then disappear, (3) cash deposits with no legal documentation, (4) landlords who don't disclose outstanding service charges, and (5) zero recourse when something goes wrong.
How Zuma Real Estate Works
Every listing on Zuma is verified before going live. We check that the advertiser actually owns or has a mandate to rent/sell the property (via title deed verification or signed agency agreement). Listings are marked with a "Zuma Verified" badge once confirmed. Our team also conducts random physical spot-checks on featured listings.
When you book a viewing, you do it through the app. The agent is rated by every viewer. Agents with below 3.5 stars are delisted. Viewing fees are strictly prohibited on Zuma — all viewings are free.
Escrow Deposits
When you find a property and want to secure it, you pay your deposit through Zuma. The funds are held in escrow — visible to both you and the landlord, but accessible to neither until the lease agreement is signed and confirmed. If the deal falls through at the landlord's fault, you get your deposit back within 24 hours. If you withdraw without cause, the landlord keeps a portion as defined in the pre-agreed terms.
This single feature eliminates the most common property scam in East Africa — the landlord who "double-deposits" multiple tenants on the same property.
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