Property management

Properties and units, tenants, leases and rent billed as invoices, arrears, repairs and statements for owners you manage for.

Getting started

Property management is an add-on module. Your account owner adds it from Settings, then Modules. It also brings the asset register, so a building you own can sit in your fixed assets.

1. Open Property, then Property settings, and check how rent is billed: days ahead, days to pay, VAT on rent and late fees. Only an admin sees this page.
2. Open Properties and press New property. Give it a code, a name and a type.
3. Open the property and add each flat, shop, room or plot that is let on its own under Units.
4. Press New lease, choose the units and the tenant, set the rent and save. The lease is saved as a draft.
5. Open the lease and press Start lease. The units become occupied, the deposit is invoiced and rent is billed every morning as it falls due.

Tenants are ordinary customers, so their rent invoices, receipts and statements are in Sales too. To add or change properties, leases and repairs your role needs to be able to enter documents.

How to

Add a property

1. Open Property, then Properties, and press New property.
2. Fill in Code (for example MSA-01), Name and Type: House, Apartment block, Commercial building, Shop, Warehouse or godown, Land plot, Farm or Other.
3. Add Size, Region, District, Street or village and the Title deed or plot number if you have them.
4. Under Where is it?, tap the map, press Use my location when you are standing on the property, or paste the GPS from Google Maps into GPS location. This puts the property on the dashboard map.
5. For a building you own, tick Add it to my fixed assets and enter Bought on and What it cost. Land is kept at cost; buildings wear out over 50 years.
6. Press Save property.

A house, plot, farm, shop or warehouse starts with one unit for the whole property. A block of flats or a commercial building gets its units added next.

Add units to a property

1. Open the property from Properties.
2. In the Units panel, fill in New unit (for example Flat 3B), Type, Size, Bedrooms and Asking rent.
3. Press Add unit.

To change a unit, press Edit on its row. You can set its status to Vacant, Reserved or Under repair, and note its meters. A unit with no lease can be deleted with Delete.

Let a unit on a new lease

1. Press New lease on the dashboard, on the property, or press Let this unit next to an empty unit.
2. Under Property and tenant, choose the Property, tick the Units let on this lease, and choose the Tenant. For a new tenant, leave it on New tenant (type below) and type their name, phone and email.
3. Under Term and rent, set Starts, Ends (leave empty if open), Rent per period, Currency and Billed: Monthly, Every 3 months, Every 6 months or Yearly.
4. Set Days to pay, VAT on rent, Yearly increase %, Deposit and Notice period (days). Tick The tenant withholds 10% tax on rent for a business tenant that keeps back withholding tax and gives you a WHT certificate.
5. Under Other charges each period, press Add a charge for a service charge, utilities, security, garbage or parking. Choose its Kind, and tick Raise it under Yearly increase if the yearly increase should apply to it. These go on the same invoice as the rent.
6. Press Save lease.

Rent per period is what the tenant pays each time rent is billed: the monthly rent for a monthly lease, or the full amount for 3, 6 or 12 months. The yearly increase is added on each anniversary of the start date.

Bill a service charge and show tenants what it paid for

1. On the lease, add a charge and set its Kind to Service charge. Leave Raise it unticked: a service charge follows what the building costs to run, not the rent increase.
2. Pay the building's costs (guards, cleaning, garbage, the borehole pump) with ordinary bills or expenses tagged with the property's cost centre.
3. At the year end, open Property, then Reports, then Service charge. Choose the dates and the property and press Show.

The report shows the service charge billed, what tenants have paid of it, and the costs booked to the property, account by account, with the surplus or shortfall. On a property you own the service charge goes to its own Service charge income account. On a property you manage for an owner it goes to the owner, like the rent. Utilities charges go to Utilities recharged to tenants (to the owner on a managed property); parking, security and other charges go with the rent.

Bill water and electricity by meter reading

1. Open the property. Under Meters, press Add a meter, choose the Unit and the Kind (water, electricity, gas or other), type the Meter number or name, the Rate per unit used, the unit (m³, kWh) and any Fixed fee each bill, and press Add meter.
2. Enter its first reading under the meter and press Save reading. The first reading is the starting point and costs nothing.
3. Each month, enter the new reading from the property page or the tenant's lease and press Save reading. What was used since the last reading, times the rate, plus the fixed fee, goes on the tenant's next rent invoice.
4. To bill it now instead, press Save and bill now, or Bill now next to a reading waiting for the rent.

A reading lower than the last one, or dated before it, is refused. If a meter is replaced, add the new one as a new meter. The rate is in the currency of the lease. Water and power already used are not credited back when a lease ends early. The newest reading can be deleted until it is billed.

Keep track of land rent, property tax and renewals

1. Open the property. Under Land rent, taxes and renewals, open Add a date.
2. Choose What: land rent (kodi ya ardhi), property tax (kodi ya majengo), insurance renewal, right of occupancy or title expiry, fire certificate, or other. Enter the Due on date, the Amount and whether it Repeats every year, and press Add.
3. When it is paid, press Mark paid, enter the date and amount, and choose the bank or cash account it was Paid from. Press Mark paid.

Everyone who can open the property pages is reminded in their notifications 14 days and 1 day before each date. Items due in the next 30 days show under Due soon on the dashboard and on the property. Paid from an account, it is recorded as an expense tagged with the property's cost centre, so it shows in the property's costs and, on a managed property, is charged to the owner on the next statement. A yearly item rolls on to the same date next year. Recording the payment needs a role that can approve; anyone who can enter documents can mark it paid without one.

Start a lease

1. Open the draft lease from Leases, under Drafts.
2. In Start the lease, choose the first period to bill in Bill rent in Mifumo from the period starting.
3. Press Start lease.

For a lease that began before you used Mifumo, choose the first period not billed yet. Earlier periods show as "Billed before Mifumo" and are left alone. Rent invoices are then made each morning. To bill a period that is already due without waiting, press Bill now.

Chase tenants who owe rent

1. Open Property, then Arrears. Tenants are listed by how many days each invoice is past its due date.
2. Choose a property at the top to see only its tenants.
3. Press WhatsApp to open a message with each invoice's link, or SMS or Email to send a reminder from Mifumo.

SMS reminders need your Africa's Talking or Beem account set up in CRM settings. The tenant pays as usual and you record it as an ordinary receipt.

If a tenant pays ahead, for example six months at once, record the receipt without choosing invoices. Mifumo puts the money against each month's rent as it is billed, so the tenant is never shown as owing or charged a late fee for rent they have paid.

To have Mifumo remind tenants for you, tick Send rent reminders automatically in Property settings. Each rent invoice gets one reminder 3 days before it is due, one 3 days after and one 10 days after, by SMS when the tenant has a phone and your SMS account is set up, otherwise by email. Each reminder carries the invoice link, and the tenant can pay online from it when online payments are on. Reminders are not sent between 8 pm and 7 am, and a tenant gets at most one rent reminder a day.

Write off rent a tenant won't pay

1. Open Property, then Arrears.
2. On the tenant's row press Write off, give a reason next to the invoice and press Write off.

Rent you own goes to Bad debts written off. Rent on a property you manage for an owner is the owner's loss, so it comes off the owner's rent on the next statement. Writing off needs a role that can approve or post journals.

Record rent from a tenant who withholds tax

A resident business tenant keeps back 10% of the rent as withholding tax, pays it to TRA and gives you a WHT certificate. You claim it against your income tax.

1. Make sure The tenant withholds 10% tax on rent is ticked on the lease. The lease page and the arrears list then say so, and reminders ask for the certificate.
2. Open the rent invoice and click Record payment.
3. Enter the full invoice amount as the Amount settled. Tax withheld by the customer is filled in with 10% of the rent; change it if needed.
4. Enter the WHT certificate no. if you have it, and click Record payment.

The invoice is fully paid. Add the certificate number later from the receipt; Receipts, then WHT certificates to collect, lists the ones still missing.

Record notice and end a lease

1. Open the lease. Press Record notice to leave, enter Notice given on and Moving out on, and press Record notice. Rent is billed up to the move-out date and no further. If the tenant gives less notice than the lease asks for, tick If it is less than 30 days' notice, bill the missing days as rent in lieu of notice (the number is the lease's notice period). Mifumo works out the rent for the missing days and invoices it.
2. When the tenant leaves, press End lease.
3. Enter the Move-out date and press Work it out. You see the rent still to bill, rent to credit back, the deposit held and what is owed.
4. List any Damages found at the move-out inspection with a charge for each.
5. In Refund the rest of the deposit from, choose the bank or cash account, or leave it on Don't refund yet (keep it held).
6. Press End lease.

Damages are invoiced, then the deposit is applied to everything still owed on the lease, and the rest is refunded. The units become vacant. This can't be undone. Ending a lease needs a role that can approve or post journals.

Record the move-in check and keep lease papers

1. Open the lease. Under Move-in check, enter the move-in date, the keys handed over, the meter readings and the condition of each unit, and press Save move-in check.
2. Under Attachments, upload the signed agreement, the tenant's ID, photos or the inspection report. Files can also be kept on the property.
3. Press Print agreement for a draft tenancy agreement with the parties, rent, deposit, notice and the move-in check as a schedule. Print it or save it as a PDF, and have your advocate check it before signing.

At move-out, compare the property with the move-in check before charging damages.

Renew a lease

1. Open a live lease that has an end date and press Renew.
2. Mifumo drafts a new lease from the old one. Check the rent and dates, then press Start lease on it.

The deposit carries over to the renewal. The new rent includes every yearly increase so far.

Change the rent on a running lease

1. Open the lease and press Edit lease.
2. Rent per period from shows the date of the next bill and the rent it will charge, increases included. Change it and press Save lease.

The new rent applies from that bill on. The yearly increase is added again only on the next anniversary of the start date.

Log a repair

1. Open Property, then Repairs, and press Log a repair. You can also press Log a repair on a lease.
2. Fill in What needs fixing, the Property and the Unit (or leave it as the whole property or common areas).
3. Choose the Category, Priority, Assigned to and the Supplier or fundi.
4. As the job moves on, press Edit and change the Status to In progress or Done, add the Cost and What was done.

When the supplier and cost are filled in, press Record the bill on the repair. Mifumo makes a draft supplier bill for the cost, to Repairs and maintenance and tagged with the property's cost centre, and opens it: check it against the supplier's invoice, attach it and approve it. From then on the repair's cost, and the Repairs report, use what the bill says. You can also pay with an expense tagged with the property's cost centre. If the tenant caused the damage, enter the amount under Bill the tenant on the repair and press the Invoice button with the tenant's name. It goes on their account with the rent. With the Projects module, Run as a project turns a big repair into a project with tasks, time and a budget.

Check a title deed on e-Ardhi

1. Open the property. In the Title deed panel, press Check on e-Ardhi. It opens the Ministry of Lands portal and copies the title number.
2. Check the title there, then come back and type what e-Ardhi showed.
3. Press Record check. The property shows who checked it and when.

Send an owner their statement and pay them

For a property you manage for a landlord, set Ownership to Managed for an owner, choose the owner and set the Management fee (% of rent collected).

1. Open Property, then Owners, and open the owner.
2. Under Statement for a period, choose From and To and press Work it out.
3. Add a note if you want and press Save statement. Your fee is booked as income and the costs you paid are charged to the owner.
4. Open the statement and use Pay the owner: enter the amount, date, the account it is paid From and a reference, then press Record payment.

Saving and paying statements needs a role that can post journals. A statement with no payment can be reversed with Take this statement back.

To send the statement, open it and press WhatsApp, SMS, Email or Copy link. The owner gets a link that opens the statement without logging in, and can print it or save it as a PDF. If the owner thinks in dollars, choose Show in USD before sending: the amounts are converted at the rate on the last day of the period, while the books and payouts stay in shillings.

If your company is VAT registered, your management fee carries 18% VAT. Saving the statement raises a fee invoice to the owner so the VAT reaches your VAT return, and takes it out of the owner's rent. Change this under VAT on management fees in Property settings.

When the costs in a period are more than the rent collected, the owner owes you the difference. It is taken off the next statement automatically. Repairs and damages you bill the tenant on a managed property go back to the owner, who paid for them, and no fee is taken on them.

Run property reports

1. Open Property, then Reports.
2. Choose a report: Rent roll, Occupancy, Income and costs, Deposits held, Lease expiries, Repairs or Service charge.
3. For a dated report, set From and To and press Show.

Each property has its own cost centre, so Income and costs shows rent, fees, bills and expenses per property.

Settings

Open Property, then Property settings. Each lease still has its own rent, frequency, tax and days to pay.

• Approve rent invoices straight away: untick to leave each rent invoice as a draft for someone to check first. If your invoices need approval, they go for approval either way.
• Bill rent ahead: how many days before a rent period starts its invoice is made, so tenants have time to pay.
• Days to pay: the default for new leases. Rent is due this many days after the period starts.
• VAT on rent: the default for new leases. Residential rent is usually exempt; commercial rent from a VAT registered landlord usually carries 18%.
• Charge a late fee: once per rent invoice still unpaid a number of days after it was due. Choose Percent of what is owed or Fixed amount, and the grace days. It is invoiced to the tenant as late fees and damage charges. On property you manage for an owner, choose whether late fees go to your company or the owner.
• VAT on management fees: 18% when your company is VAT registered, otherwise none.
• Send rent reminders automatically: before and after each rent due date, by SMS or email.

The note at the bottom of the page shows which accounts rent, deposits and late fees go to. Deposits are held until the lease ends and are not income.

Questions

Why are deposits not shown as income?

A deposit belongs to the tenant until the lease ends. It is held in a deposits account and only applied to what is owed, or refunded, when you end the lease.

Who are rent invoices made as?

Rent invoices are made each morning as the person who last saved the lease. If they leave, open the lease, press Edit lease and save it again to hand billing to you.

Why does a lease say "Billing stopped"?

Mifumo could not make the last rent invoice. Open the lease to read the reason at the top, fix it, and press Bill now.

Why did the service charge not go up with the rent?

Only charges of kind Other follow the yearly increase unless you tick Raise it on the charge. Charges entered before charges had a kind keep going up with the rent, as they did before.

Can I import my properties from Excel?

Yes. Properties, Leases and the Units panel each have an import and export button, so you can bring a whole portfolio across from a spreadsheet.

Help guides

• Getting started: Sign up, set up your company with its TIN and VRN, choose your modules, invite your team and get Mifumo on your phone.
• Team, roles and permissions: Add users, give each one a role per company, build your own roles with the permission grid, work together with mentions, and import or export spreadsheets.
• Approvals: Maker-checker on the documents you choose. People who can't approve submit, an approver posts or sends back with a reason, and nothing reaches the books before approval.
• Sign-in and security: Passwords, passkeys, two-step sign-in with an authenticator app, a text message or email, recovery codes, requiring two-step sign-in for everyone, and staying signed in.
• Group of companies: Run several companies under one login, give people a group role in every company, record intercompany entries once, and read consolidated reports with intercompany balances taken out.
• Accounting: Your books in one place. Invoices, receipts, bills, expenses, banking, journals, VAT returns and financial statements, all posting to one double-entry ledger in TSh.
• Inventory: Stock products, warehouses, adjustments, transfers and stock counts with a barcode scanner, landed cost on imports, purchase and sales orders, the point of sale till, and stock reports.
• HR and payroll: Employees, monthly payroll with PAYE, NSSF, SDL, WCF and HESLB worked out for you, payslips, salary advances, per diem, leave, staff attendance by phone with GPS or QR, a shift roster, and final dues for leavers.
• CRM: Leads, a drag-and-drop pipeline of deals, follow-ups, quotes from deals, a full customer timeline, SMS and email campaigns, and your own mailbox synced in.
• Asset management: Keep a fixed asset register, charge depreciation, track who has each asset, and record disposals with the right journal entries.
• Project management: Projects with their team, tasks, board and timeline, time logged on timesheets, milestone and time invoices, and the margin of every project.
• FTTx projects: Track fibre roll-out purchase orders from your clients, the work you pass to subcontractors, and the money in and out on each PO.
• Transport jobs: Record each cargo trip with its trucks, drivers and deliveries, attach the proof of delivery, see the margin on every delivery, and turn the job into an invoice.
• Construction: Run each building contract with its bill of quantities, interim payment certificates, advances, retention, completion certificates and site costs.
• Manufacturing: Write recipes for what you make, plan production runs, issue materials from stock and put finished goods into stock at what they really cost.
• Pharmacy: Counter dispensing with patient and prescription details, medicines with TMDA numbers, first-expiry-first-out batches, expiry write-offs and the prescription register.
• Motor vehicles: Sell imported vehicles from proforma to invoice, complete and approve the internal Sale Sheet, take instalment payments, and pay sales commissions.
• Property management: Properties and units, tenants, leases and rent billed as invoices, arrears, repairs and statements for owners you manage for.
• Law firm: Matters and case management (stages, parties, tasks, documents), time and costs, billing a matter in one step, the client (trust) account kept matter by matter, a court diary with reminders, the conflict check log and the advocate compliance register.
• Livestock: A register of every animal or batch of birds, with health records, withdrawal periods, breeding and births, milk and eggs, and sales invoiced to the buyer.
• Helpdesk: Customer problems and requests as numbered tickets, each with someone in charge, deadlines to answer and to solve, replies by email and internal notes.
• Mining: Run each mine as a project, record the money it receives, see spending against those funds, and get a profit and loss for every mine and for the company.
• Field Service: Jobs your technicians do at the customer's site, each with a time slot, a checklist, the parts used from stock, the hours worked, the customer's signature on the phone, and an invoice from the job.
• Hospital: Patients, appointments and the queue from triage to the doctor, the lab, the pharmacy and the cashier. Wards with admissions, bed days and deposits, the theatre list and imaging. Bills split between the patient and their insurer, with claims and reports. The Pharmacy module is included.
• Sign: Send a contract, lease or offer letter to be signed by link, on a phone or computer, and keep the signed copy with a record of who signed, when and from where.
• Event ticketing: Set up an event with its ticket types, publish it after paying a one-off fee, and sell tickets from your own sale page. Buyers pay you by Lipa Namba or online, and get QR tickets by SMS and email. Ticket money goes straight to you, never to Mifumo.