Tried a tool from abroad
Landlords who gave up on one
The features looked right on paper, but tenants would not use the portal and the tax section did not apply here.
Notes for Zambian landlords
No. 12 · Tezeka compared with other property software
Updated September 2026
No. 12 · Comparison
Most property software was not built for a MoMo screenshot
A lot of property software is well built, for a market where rent arrives by direct debit, tenants answer email and the tax authority is the IRS or HMRC. None of that holds in Zambia, and it shows in the details: a tenant portal nobody signs in to, a list of payment methods with nothing that matches how rent arrives, a tax section that has never heard of ZRA.
In short
- No tenant account or app needed, WhatsApp is enough
- Matching built for MoMo and Airtel Money screenshots
- ZRA’s monthly return and bands, not a generic tax setting
- Priced per unit you rent, in kwacha
02 · Side by side
The same landlord, two tools
In software built elsewhere
- A tenant portal that nobody signs in to
- Payment methods without MoMo or Airtel Money
- Tax settings for the IRS or HMRC
- Prices in dollars, per door
In Tezeka
- Tenants stay on WhatsApp
- Proof from MoMo, Airtel Money, bank or cash
- ZRA’s monthly return and its bands
- Prices in kwacha, per unit you rent
The assumptions are wrong, not the software
A tenant portal is a reasonable idea, if tenants will use it. In practice, asking a tenant to create an account and sign in to a website to send proof of payment asks them to change something WhatsApp already does for free. The portal sits unused while the real conversation carries on over WhatsApp, split across two systems that do not talk to each other.
Tax and reporting show the same mismatch. A tool built for yearly filing and a different tax authority does not know that Zambian rental income tax is filed monthly, does not apply ZRA’s bands, and has no idea what a ZRA return should look like.
04 · How it works
How the mechanism differs
This is not the same product with Zambian labels stuck on. The matching and reporting are built around how rent moves here.
- Proof
Screenshots, not bank feeds: MoMo, Airtel Money or a bank transfer slip.
- Matching
By reference and amount, because the sender is often a spouse or a relative.
- Messages
On WhatsApp, where the conversation already is.
- Tax
ZRA, monthly, with its 0%, 4% and 16% bands.
- Price
Per unit you rent: a room, a flat or a bed.
05 · Where this lives in Tezeka
Plate I
- 1
Mobile money, named as the method
- 2
Paid once you confirm the proof
- 3
Every payment counted in kwacha
06 · Who this is for
Three landlords we had in mind
Comparing options from Toronto
Owners choosing from abroad
A tool can look capable in a demo and still assume banking and messaging habits that do not match Zambia.
An agent with reluctant tenants
Agents who need tenants to engage
You need something your least technical tenant can use without a download or a login. WhatsApp already clears that bar.
07 · What changes
What you stop working around
- i
Asking tenants to create accounts they will not use
- ii
Translating generic tax figures into ZRA’s bands
- iii
Paying in dollars for features built for elsewhere
- iv
Typing MoMo payments into a bank feed format
No. 0001
- Date
- Today
- Received from
- You
- For
- 1 unit
- Amount
- K99 a month
Counterfoil. Keep for your records
Start here
Start with the property you have
Solo is K99 a month for 1 unit. Your tenants keep paying you directly by MoMo, Airtel Money or bank transfer. Tezeka never touches your rent.
Do my tenants need to download an app?
No. WhatsApp is enough. There is no separate tenant app or portal for a tenant to create an account on.
Does Tezeka handle Zambian lease clauses?
Lease templates are built per property type, residential, apartment, commercial and farm, with clauses for each instead of one generic template.
Is switching from another tool difficult?
From the Growth plan up, you can import your payment history from a CSV file instead of starting from zero.
Why not use a well known international property tool?
Many are well built for the market they were designed for. The gap shows up in the details that do not travel: how tenants communicate, how they pay, and the local tax rules.
How does the pricing compare?
Pricing here is per unit you rent, in kwacha, rather than per door in dollars. Solo starts at K99 a month for one unit and grows with your portfolio.