A complete, plain-language guide to Nyumba254 — how to search and message sellers, how to list and manage a property, how payments and reviews work, and how to manage your account.
From searching to moving in — the whole process is straightforward, safe, and agent-free.
Browse by county and area, or search by keyword and price. Filter by property type and save your favourites to come back to later.
See every photo, the full specs, amenities, price, and an approximate map location. Multi-unit properties show live availability per unit type.
Send an enquiry straight from the listing — no account required. Request the seller's number to call or WhatsApp if they've made that available.
Agree terms directly with the owner — no agent cuts, no delays. Once you're settled, leave a quick review to help the next buyer.
Fill in the details, upload photos, and submit — our team reviews it, then it's live for buyers to find and message you directly.
Sign up with your email. Your account is where you post listings, chat with buyers, and track views and enquiries. Your progress auto-saves as a draft as you go.
Pick the category that matches your property — each one asks for the details that actually matter for it.
Title, description, price and how it's billed, plus your county and area. Drag a pin to your exact spot, or use GPS in one tap — buyers see the general area, and the exact address is only shared once someone enquires.
Add category-specific details, tick off amenities, and upload clear photos. A multi-unit property can list several unit types with their own price and availability, tracked separately once live.
Choose whether buyers can call/WhatsApp you directly or only message you on Nyumba254, agree to the terms, and submit. Every listing is checked by our team before it goes public.
Your first listing is free for a trial period. From there, buyers message you directly and you manage everything — messages, viewings, and marking it sold or occupied — with zero commission on the deal itself.
Whichever side you're on, listings fall into five categories — each with its own relevant fields and filters.
Flats, units, and compounds — from studios to multi-bedroom homes. Larger blocks can list several unit types, each with its own price and availability.
Standalone homes and yards for families and professionals wanting more space and privacy — for rent or for sale.
Student rooms and bed spaces near institutions. Each room type is priced separately with live availability shown per room.
Short stays and furnished rentals — guest count, minimum stay, and house rules are all listed up front. Some sellers add a short video walkthrough too.
Retail shops, offices, showrooms, and warehouse space — for lease or for sale — with frontage, floor area, and fit-out condition noted.
Whether you're enquiring as a buyer or replying as a seller, all of it happens in the same place — no separate app to install.
Tap "Send inquiry" on any listing, add your name and a short message — no account needed. You'll get a private link to keep track of the conversation, and can carry on chatting right from the listing page or your inbox.
If a seller has allowed direct contact, a "Reveal number" option appears so you can call or open WhatsApp with a pre-filled message. Some sellers keep conversations chat-only for extra privacy — you'll see that clearly on the listing.
From a conversation, request a viewing with your preferred date and time. The seller confirms directly with you — Nyumba254 doesn't schedule or attend viewings on your behalf.
Boarding houses and multi-unit blocks show which room/unit types are still open. Enquire about a specific type, and the seller sees exactly which one you mean.
Tap the heart icon on any listing card to save it. Your saved list lives on this device — visit Saved from the top menu anytime to revisit or remove them.
Haven't found the right fit yet? On the Browse page, set up an alert with your budget, area, and property type — Nyumba254 lets you know when a matching listing goes live.
If you leave your email while enquiring, you'll get a notified when a seller replies — handy if you close the tab before the seller responds.
Once your listing is live, everyday changes are quick — no need to repost.
Update the description, photos, and amenities anytime from your listing card. Changes to price, location, or category go through a quick admin check to keep listings trustworthy for buyers.
Pause a listing to hide it temporarily without deleting it, or mark it sold/occupied once you've closed a deal — it comes off public search immediately but stays in your history.
For boarding houses and multi-unit blocks, mark individual rooms or units as occupied or available as they fill up — buyers always see the current picture.
Add a short video link (or record one) to give buyers a fuller sense of the space before they message you. Videos are reviewed quickly before appearing on the listing.
Choose per listing whether buyers can reveal your number to call/WhatsApp, or must message you through Nyumba254 only — useful if you'd rather screen enquiries first.
Remove a listing permanently at any time from your listings. This is separate from pausing — once deleted, its messages and history go with it.
After a successful contact, buyers can rate and review the seller. These reviews sit permanently on the seller's profile and factor into their trust standing.
Sellers can reply publicly to a review left about them — a chance to clarify or thank the buyer. Responses appear right under the original review.
Reviews should reflect a genuine interaction on the platform. Reviews that look fake, abusive, or unrelated to an actual enquiry can be reported and are checked by our team.
Nothing goes live without a photo and a check from our team first. Sellers who complete identity and ownership verification carry a visible trust badge on their listings.
Messages go through Nyumba254 first. A seller's number is only shared when a buyer chooses to reveal it. Anyone can report a suspicious listing or seller at any time.
Sellers pay listing fees via M-Pesa — no cards, no foreign platforms. Once your property sells or rents, that deal is entirely between you and the buyer, commission-free.
Sellers can optionally submit ID and proof of ownership (or authority to list) for review. Once approved, a "Verified" badge appears on their profile and listings — a signal to buyers, not a guarantee, so always still view a property in person before paying anything.
Unverified sellers can still list and be contacted normally; verification is an extra layer of trust, not a requirement to use the platform.
Use the "Report" button on any listing to flag a fake listing, a scam attempt, or content that looks off — with an optional note on what happened. Our team reviews every report and can suspend accounts that break the rules.
There's never a fee to browse or to post — you only pay when a listing is approved and about to be published, and only for that listing.
Nyumba254 never charges buyers to browse, message a seller, or view a listing. Sellers only ever pay for the listing itself — there's no commission taken from the sale price or rent you agree with a buyer. Exact fees are always shown before you're asked to pay.
A few things every account holder — buyer or seller — can control at any time.
Update your name, phone number, email, and password from your profile page at any time. Changing your email sends a verification link to the new address before it takes effect.
Choose which emails you receive — new enquiries, listing approvals, expiry reminders, payment confirmations, and general platform updates — each can be switched on or off individually.
Change your password anytime — you'll stay signed in afterwards. If you ever suspect unauthorised access, changing your password immediately is the fastest way to secure your account.
Sellers can start or check the status of identity verification from their profile. It's optional, reviewed by our team, and adds a trust badge to your listings once approved.
Going away for a while? Sellers can pause all active listings in one action from their account — they're hidden from search but stay saved, ready to reactivate.
Sign out from any device at any time from the account menu. Your listings, saved items, and settings are always kept safe and waiting for you next time.
Deleting your account is permanent and cannot be undone. Here's exactly what happens and how to do it, whether you're a buyer or a seller.
Sign in and open your profile page from the account menu.
Near the bottom of your profile page, you'll find account-level actions, including Delete account.
You'll be asked to type DELETE into a confirmation box — this is a deliberate extra step so deletion is never accidental.
Your account, listings, photos, and enquiry history are permanently deleted, and you're signed out and returned to the homepage.
If you just want a break, sellers can pause all listings or sign out instead — both are reversible, unlike deletion. See Managing your account above.
If you only ever sent an enquiry as a guest (without creating a seller account), there's no account to delete — your conversation history is tied to your device via a private link, and you can simply stop using it. To have any personal data associated with your enquiries removed, contact us and we'll handle it directly.
Whether you're looking for a home or listing one — it starts free and takes just a few minutes.
