Frequently asked questions
Everything we get asked about Pangoni — pricing, M-Pesa rent collection, KRA compliance, leases, integrations, and more — organised by topic so you can find answers fast.
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Tenants & leases
Leases, renewals, arrears, deposits, eviction notice, tenant rights.
Jump to answersRoles, cities & types
Small landlords, agencies, diaspora, hostels, Airbnb, Mombasa, Kisumu.
Jump to answersSign-up, trial, and setup
The basics — who Pangoni is for, how to sign up, and how to get your existing properties onto the platform.
Pangoni works for landlords with two units, agencies managing thousands, caretakers on the ground, and tenants who just want to pay rent. We support apartment buildings, hostels, Airbnb-style short stays, and mixed-use portfolios. See solutions by audience →
Visit hub.pangoni.com, fill in your details, verify your email, and you're in. There's no credit card required and no waiting for a sales call — you can have your first property set up in under five minutes.
Yes — every plan starts with a full-feature free trial. Set up real properties, real tenants, and test M-Pesa collection on live data before deciding which plan fits. See plan details →
Pangoni's data migration tool accepts spreadsheets exported from Excel, Google Sheets, or other PMS tools. The team can also help with bulk imports for portfolios over 100 units at no extra cost. More on Data migration →
No — Pangoni is fully cloud-based. You log in through any browser on hub.pangoni.com, and tenants pay via M-Pesa without needing an app. Mobile, tablet, and desktop are all supported. Visit the Help centre →
Yes. Each caretaker, accountant, or property manager gets their own role-based login with permissions you control — for example a caretaker can log maintenance but cannot see tenant payments. More on Caretaker management →
Yes. We have active landlords across Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, and diaspora landlords managing Kenyan property from abroad — anywhere with a Safaricom M-Pesa connection. See city-specific pages →
Plans, billing, and what's included
How Pangoni is priced, what's in each tier, and how billing works.
Each tier includes a fixed allowance of properties, units, tenants, and listings, not a per-unit fee. For example Landlord Pro at KSh 1,500/month includes 30 units across up to 10 properties — when you outgrow it, you upgrade to the next tier rather than paying per overage. See full pricing →
Landlord plans are for owners managing their own portfolio. Agent plans add multi-owner support so you can manage rentals on behalf of other landlords. Agency plans add team logins, branded statements, and higher unit caps for managers running 200+ units. Compare plans →
Yes — upgrade or downgrade at any time from the billing dashboard. Annual subscribers get prorated credit when upgrading mid-cycle. More on Landlord plans →
Yes. The Landlord Lifetime license is a one-time payment for landlords who prefer to own the software outright rather than subscribe. It includes core features in perpetuity, with optional paid add-ons for premium modules. More on Lifetime →
KES prices on the pricing page are inclusive of 16% VAT. USD prices for international cards are exclusive of VAT — your card statement will reflect any applicable local tax. View pricing →
M-Pesa, bank transfer, and Visa/Mastercard via our payment processor. Annual subscriptions can be invoiced for finance-team approval if you'd prefer.
No. Subscription, transaction, and add-on costs are all on the pricing page. We don't charge per-tenant fees, per-payment fees, or set-up fees. See pricing →
Add-ons are optional modules — branded mobile app, accounting integration, SMS bundles, dedicated support — that you stack on top of any plan. The base plan includes M-Pesa collection, lease management, reminders, and reporting. More on Add-ons →
Collecting rent the Kenyan way
Paybill setup, reconciliation, fees, receipts, and how money flows from tenant to dashboard.
Yes. Each property gets its own M-Pesa Paybill (or shares yours via account numbers), and tenants pay rent directly to it. Payments appear on your dashboard within seconds and are auto-receipted to the tenant. More on Online rent collection →
No. They pay to the same M-Pesa Paybill they already use. The only change is that each tenant now has their own account number under your Paybill — same workflow as paying a utility bill. More on Online rent collection →
Pangoni matches incoming M-Pesa transactions by account number, phone number, and amount. Most payments reconcile automatically; the dashboard flags any that need a manual confirm. More on Payment reconciliation →
Pangoni queues it under "unmatched payments" and shows you a one-click list of likely tenants based on phone number and amount. Tap the right tenant and the payment is posted instantly. More on Payment reconciliation →
No. Pangoni charges only your subscription fee. Safaricom's M-Pesa Paybill rates apply directly to your Paybill — they aren't marked up. See pricing →
Yes. Pangoni records bank transfers, M-Pesa Till payments, and cash receipts alongside Paybill payments so your books stay complete regardless of how a tenant pays. More on Receiving payments →
Yes. Log a cash receipt against any tenant in two taps; the system issues a formal receipt with the date, amount, and reference for both your records and theirs. More on Digital invoicing →
Yes — Pangoni receives M-Pesa Paybill notifications instantly. You see new payments on the dashboard within seconds of the tenant paying, whether you're in Nairobi or abroad. More on the M-Pesa rent guide →
Leases, renewals, arrears & Kenyan law
How Pangoni handles leases, reminders, and arrears — plus the legal essentials Kenyan landlords ask about.
Yes — manage as many properties as your plan's allowance permits, each with its own units, tenants, rent rules, and statements. Switching between properties is a single dropdown on the dashboard. More on Lease management →
Pangoni tracks each lease's end date and surfaces upcoming renewals on a renewal queue. You can send renewal notices automatically 30, 60, or 90 days in advance with the new terms pre-filled. More on Lease renewal notifications →
Yes. Pangoni sends SMS, email, and WhatsApp reminders at intervals you choose — e.g. 3 days before due, on due date, and at 7 days overdue — without you lifting a finger each month. More on Automated rent reminders →
Tenants are flagged as in-arrears the day rent goes overdue. Pangoni escalates through reminder messages, can apply late fees automatically per your lease rules, and produces a clean arrears statement for any tenant on demand. More on Arrears management →
Yes — broadcast SMS, email, or WhatsApp messages to all tenants, a single building, or any custom segment (e.g. "all tenants with arrears above KSh 10,000"). More on Bulk text messaging →
Kenyan law does not cap deposits, but market practice in residential rentals is one to two months' rent. Anything above three months is unusually high and rarely accepted by quality tenants. More on Security deposits in Kenya →
There is no statutory deadline, but the Rent Restriction Act expects refund within a reasonable period after lease end — typically 14 to 30 days, less any documented damages and unpaid rent. More on Deposit refunds →
For controlled rentals (under KSh 2,500/month) you must apply through the Rent Restriction Tribunal. For all other rentals, give written notice equal to the rent period — typically one month — and apply to the Business Premises Tribunal or court if the tenant doesn't leave. More on Tenant rights in Kenya →
No. Lockouts and self-help evictions are illegal in Kenya regardless of how much rent is owed. The legal route is a notice followed by a tribunal or court order — anything else can result in criminal liability. More on Landlord lockouts →
MRI, eTIMS, eRITS & rental tax
The Kenyan tax basics — current rates, deadlines, what counts as MRI, and how Pangoni helps you stay compliant.
7.5% of gross monthly rental income, reduced from the original 10% by the Finance Act 2023. Applies to residential rental income between KSh 288,000 and KSh 15 million per year. No deductions are allowed — it is a flat percentage of gross rent. More on MRI →
The 20th of the following month. Rent collected in January is due by 20 February; rent collected in December is due by 20 January. Late filing attracts penalties and interest. More on MRI deadlines →
MRI is the tax itself (7.5% of gross rent). eTIMS is KRA's invoicing system that requires landlords to issue tax-compliant invoices. eRITS is the new electronic rental income tracking system landlords are required to use for filing. More on MRI vs eTIMS vs eRITS →
Yes — Pangoni issues eTIMS-compliant invoices for every rent charge automatically. You stay compliant without changing your workflow. More on eTIMS for landlords →
eRITS is KRA's electronic Rental Income Tax System — a dedicated portal and feed for filing rental tax. Pangoni is being readied for direct eRITS submission so landlords file without re-keying data. More on eRITS →
No. MRI at 7.5% is a flat rate on gross rent with no deductions allowed. If you exceed KSh 15M per year you must elect Income Tax instead — and there, you can deduct allowable expenses. More on MRI deductions →
You move from the MRI regime to standard Income Tax (rates up to 30% for individuals and companies). You may then deduct allowable expenses but must file annual returns instead of monthly MRI. More on the MRI ceiling →
Accounting, messaging, and APIs
How Pangoni connects to QuickBooks, Xero, Zapier, Slack, WhatsApp, Sheets, and your own tools via API.
A native QuickBooks integration is on the roadmap. In the meantime, you can either export to QuickBooks-ready CSV or wire it directly via the Pangoni API. More on QuickBooks →
A native Xero integration is on the roadmap. CSV exports and the public API let you connect Pangoni rent data to Xero today. More on Xero →
Yes. Every report, tenant list, payment ledger, and arrears statement exports cleanly to Excel and Google Sheets formats. More on Excel export →
Native Zapier triggers and actions are on the roadmap. Today you can call the Pangoni API from any Zapier "Webhooks" step. More on Zapier →
A native Slack app is being built. In the interim, the API and webhooks support Slack incoming-webhook URLs for custom alerts. More on Slack →
Yes — Pangoni integrates with WhatsApp Business so reminders, receipts, and broadcasts go via WhatsApp alongside SMS and email. More on WhatsApp Business →
Yes. The public Pangoni API at api.pangoni.com gives developers programmatic access to properties, tenants, payments, and listings — useful for custom dashboards or pipelines. More on API integration →
Statements, analytics & marketing
The reports and broadcast tools, plus how to market vacant units on the Pangoni marketplace.
Rent roll, arrears report, occupancy report, owner statement, income statement, expense report, deposit ledger, and tenant statement — all ready as Excel, PDF or CSV and brandable on Agency plans. More on Reporting →
Yes — the analytics dashboard shows collection rate, on-time vs. late payments, occupancy, and arrears age in real time, with drill-down by property or building. More on Analytics dashboard →
Yes. Bulk SMS is included on every plan; volumes are billed via SMS bundles you top up monthly. You can target all tenants, a single building, or a custom filter. More on Bulk SMS →
Use the broadcast tool to send SMS, email, or WhatsApp announcements to one tenant, a building, or your whole portfolio in seconds. More on Communication & notifications →
Yes — Pangoni publishes your vacancies to pangoni.com (the marketplace) plus connected listing sites, with photos, virtual tours, and an in-built enquiry form. More on Marketing listings →
Yes. Each listing has SEO-optimised slug, title, meta description, and schema markup. Listings in popular Kenyan cities and neighbourhoods routinely appear on the first Google results page. More on SEO for listings →
Yes — a tenant statement covering any date range generates as PDF in one tap. Tenants can also self-serve their own statement from their tenant portal. More on Tenant statements →
Who Pangoni works for
Whether you're a 2-unit landlord, a 1,000-unit agency, a diaspora owner, or a hostel operator — here's how Pangoni fits you.
No — Landlord Free is built for exactly this case. You get M-Pesa collection, automated reminders, lease tracking, and a tenant portal at zero cost. Most small landlords never need to upgrade. More for small landlords →
Yes. Agency Pro and Elite plans include team logins, role-based permissions, branded reports, and owner statements. We have agencies running 1,000+ units on Pangoni today. More for property managers →
Yes — Pangoni was built for this. M-Pesa rent reconciles to your dashboard in seconds wherever you are, your caretaker gets a limited login for ground duties, and tenant communication is fully digital. More for diaspora landlords →
Yes — Pangoni handles per-bed billing, hostel-style room sharing, and short-cycle (per-semester) leases that conventional rental software struggles with. More for student hostels →
Yes — the short-stay module supports nightly rates, calendar blocking, deposit-on-arrival, and integration with listing platforms for owners who run furnished short-lets alongside long-term rentals. More on Airbnb management →
Yes. Pangoni has active landlords and agencies in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, and Eldoret. M-Pesa collection works anywhere with a Safaricom connection. See city-specific pages →
Yes — role-based permissions let you grant a manager access to specific properties only, with control over which features (payments, maintenance, leases) they can see or edit. More on remote delegation →
Didn't find your answer?
Browse our full Help centre, search the blog for in-depth guides, or message our team — we usually reply within an hour during business days.