How to Avoid Rental Scams in Kampala

How do rental scams work in Kampala?

Most rental fraud in Kampala is not a fake website. It is a conversation on WhatsApp, a photo on a listing site, and a request for money before you have seen anything. A January 2026 article by Nymy Net on the tactics of Kampala brokers and an earlier Nymy Net piece on property scams on TikTok and WhatsApp describe overlapping tricks.

The 2025 Nymy Net piece says agents post listings in WhatsApp groups and statuses, Instagram reels and TikTok videos, that some listings never existed, and that some agents are accused of reselling the same listing to several hopeful clients.

Should I pay a viewing fee or a deposit before I see the house?

No. Do not pay anything before you have stood inside the unit and met the person who can let it. The Landlord and Tenant Act 2022 does not provide for a viewing or inspection fee. It does cover the deposit and advance rent, and none of those payments come before an agreement.

• A security deposit may not be more than one month's rent, and only one may be taken (section 30). The landlord must give a written receipt (section 30(5)).
• Rent in advance is capped at three months for a tenancy of more than one month, unless you agree to more (section 24).
• A term making you pay the other party's cost of preparing the tenancy agreement is void (section 11(2)).
• A landlord who receives rent must give a written receipt (section 25).

A 2021 Monitor article quotes the president of the Association of Real Estate Agents in Uganda saying it is not written anywhere that you must commit to a rental by depositing part of the rent, and that tenancy agreements are "a must". That is the stance we recommend. See Landlord and Tenant Act 2022 for the full set of rights.

How do I check that an agent or landlord is real?

Ask for proof before you part with money, and be wary of anyone who refuses.

1. Meet at the property. The 2025 Nymy Net piece advises insisting on meeting at the property before making any financial commitment through mobile money to unverified personal numbers.
2. Ask who owns the unit. Ask the person to show the landlord's name, and compare it with the name on the agreement and on any payment account.
3. Ask for the agent's authority in writing. Section 49 of the Act lets a landlord appoint an agent to market the premises, draw up tenancy agreements and collect rent, and says the particulars and scope of the appointment must be in writing and made available to the tenant.
4. Check identification both ways. Section 3(5) bars a landlord from signing a tenancy with an individual who has not shown an ID. Ask to see the landlord's ID as well.
5. Look for a verified profile. On Land & Property, agents go through a National ID and live selfie check before a Verified badge is shown. Use homes to rent now and prefer verified agents.

Compare the asking rent with similar homes. If a rent looks too good, treat it as bait. Our pages on Apartments and Houses for Rent in Bugolobi, Kampala, Apartments for Rent in Naguru, Kampala and Cheap Apartments and Houses for Rent in Kampala show how to compare areas.

What is the "commitment deposit" scam, step by step?

This is the mechanism that costs people the most. A 2021 Monitor report on rent deposits told of a woman who deposited UGX 1.5 million as rent for a house. When move-in day came, the "landlord" had vanished and the house had already been sold to someone else.

1. You see a good listing and message the number.
2. The person says another tenant is coming today and asks for part of the rent to hold the house.
3. You send mobile money to a personal number.
4. The viewing is moved, then the phone goes off.

What to do now if you are asked for a holding payment: say you will pay at signing, in person, to a named landlord or a registered agent, against a receipt. If they refuse, walk away. Those who are genuine can wait a day.

What should I do if I have already paid a scammer?

Act the same day.

• Keep every record. Save chats, screenshots of the listing, call logs and the mobile money or bank transaction message.
• Tell your mobile money provider or bank at once. Ask what it can do. Do not assume the money can be reversed.
• Report to police. In a 2022 Monitor report the police spokesperson said the cyber-crime unit was ready to receive complaints of online fraud and to guide complainants, and urged the public to avoid direct payments to sellers. Go to your nearest police station and ask for the file number.
• Warn others. Tell the platform where you saw the listing so that it can remove the advert.

If the landlord is real but is breaking the Act, for example by taking more than one deposit, the route is a civil claim, not the police. See Landlord and Tenant Act 2022.

Which other charges can be used to cheat a tenant?

After you move in, a real landlord can still overcharge. Three areas draw most complaints.

• Service fees. Section 46 lets a landlord charge a service fee for extra services such as security, conservancy and sanitation. A fee that was never agreed or explained is a red flag. Read landlord service fee.
• Repairs. Do not accept a bill for repairs that the Act places on the landlord. See Who Pays for Repairs in a Rental in Uganda?
• Tax. A landlord who takes rent should keep records of receipts (section 25(3)). Landlords have tax duties of their own, covered in Tax on Rental Income in Uganda, and a tenant should not pay "tax" to a landlord on request without an explanation.

If you are buying instead of renting, the fraud patterns are different. Read Land Scams in Uganda. For general guidance on all rentals, see Houses and Apartments for Rent in Uganda.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Houses and Apartments for Rent in Uganda
• Landlord and Tenant Act 2022: Tenant Rights
• Land Scams in Uganda: 10 Patterns and Defences
• Cheap Apartments and Houses for Rent in Kampala
• Service Fees Under the 2022 Act: What Landlords Can Charge