Frequently asked questions

TrustHabitat is a property listing platform for the Democratic Republic of Congo. You can find houses, apartments, land and commercial property to rent or buy, and contact the advertiser directly on WhatsApp or by phone. We are not a real-estate agent: we don't own or sell the properties, and we don't handle payments.

No. Searching, contacting advertisers and publishing listings are currently free. If we ever introduce paid services, we will show their price clearly before you are asked to pay, as our terms of use promise.

Not to search or to contact an advertiser. You need one to save listings and to publish or manage your own. Create an account with your phone number or an email address.

Listings are currently open in Bandundu, Baraka, Beni, Boende, Boma, Bukavu, Bunia, Buta, Butembo, Gbadolite, Gemena, Goma, Inongo, Isiro, Kabinda, Kalemie, Kamina, Kananga, Kenge, Kikwit, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kipushi, Kisangani, Kolwezi, Likasi, Lisala, Lubumbashi, Lusambo, Matadi, Mbandaka, Mbuji-Mayi, Mwene-Ditu, Tshikapa, Uvira, and Zongo. We add cities as we grow; if yours is missing, let us know.

The site is available in French, English, Kiswahili and Lingála. Change the language from the menu at the top of any page. If you are signed in, we remember your choice, and the emails and text messages we send you use it too.

Every listing is reviewed by our team before it goes online: we check its documents, such as a title deed, a proof of ownership or mandate, or the advertiser's ID. The badge shows that the listing passed that review. It is not a legal guarantee of ownership, so still visit the property and check the documents yourself before you pay anything.

Open the listing and tap WhatsApp or Call. WhatsApp opens with a message that names the listing, so the advertiser knows which property you mean. You deal directly with the advertiser; we don't take part in the conversation.

Advertisers set their price in US dollars, the usual reference for property in the DRC. When an amount in Congolese francs is marked as an estimate, we calculate it from a public market exchange rate. It is for information only and may differ from your bank's rate: the price you agree with the advertiser is the one that counts.

It asks your phone or computer for your location to sort listings by distance. Your position is rounded to about 1 km before it goes into the page address, so a search link you share never shows where you are. You can also browse every listing on the map.

Yes. Tap the heart on a listing to save it, then find it under Favorites in your account menu. You need to be signed in.

Yes. Add it to your phone's home screen and it opens like an app, with no app store download. It is built to load quickly on slow mobile connections. See how to install it.

Never pay a deposit, a “visit fee” or any advance before you have visited the property and checked the documents. Be wary of prices far below the market, pressure to decide quickly, or requests to pay through unusual channels. Before you sign, have the papers checked by a notary or a lawyer.

Use “Report this listing” on the listing page. You can report the listing itself (a scam, a duplicate, a wrong price or location, a property no longer available, misleading or inappropriate content) or the advertiser behind it. You don't need an account. Our team reviews every report and can take the listing or the advertiser offline.

No. We don't collect rent, deposits or sale payments, and we are not a party to any agreement between you and the advertiser. Any payment or contract is between the two of you.

Anyone with an agent, landlord or developer account. You choose your account type when you sign up; a buyer or tenant account can't publish. To change your account type later, contact us.

From your dashboard, create the listing and save it as a draft. Add at least one photo (up to 20) and at least one verification document, confirm your email address or phone number, then submit it for review. It goes online as soon as our team approves it.

At least one document showing that you may advertise the property: a title deed, a proof of ownership or mandate, your ID document, or a water or electricity bill. Send photos or PDFs of up to 8 MB each, 10 per listing at most. Documents stay private: only you and our review team can open them, never visitors.

We email you at your confirmed address, or send a text message to your verified phone if you have no confirmed email. The decision, and the reason if the listing is refused, also shows on your dashboard.

Yes. Small changes, such as the number of rooms, the amenities or a price change of up to 30%, go online at once. A new title or description waits for our team's approval while the listing stays online with its current text. Changing the contact number, address, location or type, moving the map pin more than 200 m, changing the price by more than 30%, or adding or removing photos sends the listing back to review, and it stays offline until it is approved again.

60 days for a rental and 90 days for a sale. 7 days before the end, we remind you with a one-tap renew link, and you can also renew from your dashboard. Renewing needs no new review. A listing you don't renew is hidden from visitors, not deleted, and you can still renew it later.

Mark it as rented or sold from your dashboard, so people stop contacting you about it. If it becomes available again, use “Put back online”: a listing that is still verified is live again at once.

Open the Verification page of your dashboard, upload an identity document (and, if you have them, your RCCM, tax number or professional card), then send your request. You need a confirmed email or verified phone. Once our team approves it, the badge shows next to your name on all your listings.

The reason shows on your dashboard. A refused listing goes back to draft: fix what was asked and submit it again. If you think a decision is wrong, contact us. Every decision is recorded and can be reviewed.

With your phone number, using a 6-digit code we send you by text message (valid for 5 minutes), or with your email address and password. Sign-in by text message works with Congolese (+243) numbers.

Use “Forgot password?” on the sign-in page. We email you a link to choose a new password; it works for 30 minutes. Choosing a new password signs you out on your other devices.

The contact number of a listing is public, so that people can reach you on WhatsApp or by phone. Your email address is never shown to visitors.

They are stored privately. Only you and our review team can open them, and every time a staff member opens one is recorded. We delete them 90 days after the review they were used for. Our privacy policy has the details.

From your account page. Your listings are taken offline, your saved listings and private documents are deleted, and your name, email address, phone number and password are erased.