Getting Started

How to create your account, verify your email, sign in and upgrade to a lister account so you can publish properties on Maskani Yetu.

Create your account

There are two ways to sign up. Both give you the same kind of account.

With your email

1. Go to the Sign up page and enter your Name, Email and a Password (at least 8 characters), then type it again in Confirm Password.
2. Tick the box to agree to the Terms & conditions and Privacy policy.
3. Choose Create account. We email you a 6-digit code (see Verify your email).

With Google, Facebook or TikTok

Choose Google, Facebook or TikTok at the top of the Sign in or Sign up page and approve access. Doing so means you agree to our Terms and Privacy policy.

• If the provider confirms your email address (Google normally does), you're signed straight in, with no code to enter.
• TikTok doesn't share an email address. We ask you for one on the next screen, then send a 6-digit code to confirm it, as for an email sign-up.
• If you already have an account with the same email, Google signs you into it. If the provider can't confirm the address, we ask you to sign in with your password first and then connect the provider from your account settings (see Keep your account secure).

Verify your email

After an email sign-up, or after you change your email in Account Settings, you land on Verify your email. Until you finish, every page of the app except Account Settings brings you back here.

1. Open the email from us, "Verify Your Email" (or "Confirm Your New Email" after an email change), and find the 6-digit code.
2. Type or paste it into the six boxes. The code is sent as soon as the sixth digit is in; you can also choose Verify Email.

• The code lasts 10 minutes and works once. The page shows when it expires, in Kenya time.
• When the countdown reaches zero, Resend appears. A new code replaces the old one.
• Each code allows 5 tries. After 5 wrong ones it stops working and Resend appears straight away; use the new code.
• You can ask for up to 5 new codes an hour, and tries are also limited to a few a minute, so wait a moment if you're told to slow down.
• Typed the wrong address? Choose Change it in Account Settings under the code boxes, correct your email and choose Save. We send a new code to the corrected address. Email changes are limited to 5 an hour.

Signing in

On Sign in, use the same method you signed up with: your email and password, or the Google, Facebook or TikTok button. Tick Remember me on your own device to stay signed in.

• Forgot your password? Enter your email and choose Email Password Reset Link, then follow the link to choose a new password. This also works if you signed up with a social account and never had a password.
• If you've turned on two-factor authentication, you're asked for the 6-digit code from your authenticator app, or a recovery code (Use a recovery code). This applies to the Google, Facebook and TikTok buttons too.
• After several wrong passwords in a minute, sign-in is paused briefly. Wait a minute and try again.

"We could not verify you are human. Please try again."

Sign in, sign up, password reset and our public forms are protected by an automatic human check from Cloudflare. Usually you won't see it; sometimes it asks you to tick a box. If you get this message, refresh the page and try again. An ad or content blocker can stop the check from loading, so allow it on our site if the message keeps appearing.

Become a lister

New accounts are member accounts: you can save listings, book tours and write reviews. To publish properties, upgrade to a lister account. It's free.

1. Choose Upgrade Now on your dashboard (or go to Upgrade to Lister). Opening /teams/create as a member brings you here too, with "Teams are for listers. Upgrade your account to create one." Read the benefits and choose Get Started.
2. Choose your Public Handle. It becomes your profile address, maskaniyetu.com/listers/your-handle. We suggest one from your name, and check each change as you type. A handle is 3 to 30 characters of lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens, and can't start or end with a hyphen. Continue works once the handle shows "Available!".
3. Optionally add About You (up to 1000 characters) and a Phone Number (up to 30 characters, for example +254 712 345 678). Buyers and renters who contact you about a listing can see your phone number.
4. Check the summary, tick the box to agree to the Terms & Conditions and confirm your listings will be genuine, then choose Activate Lister Account.

You can change your handle, bio and phone later under Lister Profile in the account menu.

After you upgrade

You return to your dashboard with a confirmation banner. It now shows your listings, enquiries, viewing requests and rating. Next:

1. Finish your public profile: photo, bio, the areas you cover and your fees. See Profile & team.
2. Add your first property: choose Add your first property on the dashboard. See Property management.
3. Answer enquiries and tour requests quickly from Tour Requests and Contact Enquiries in the side menu. They show requests for your own listings and your current team's. See Managing submissions.
4. If you work with others, create or join a team (see Profile & team).

Keep your account secure

Open Account Settings from the account menu. It has four tabs.

• Profile: your name, email and profile photo. If you change your email, we send a 6-digit code to the new address and you confirm it as in Verify your email before you can use the dashboard again. Until you do, the form says "We sent a 6-digit code to this address." with a link to enter it; if you mistyped the address, correct it and save again. We also email your old address to say it was changed; if you didn't make the change, reply to that email and we'll help you get your account back. You can change your email up to 5 times an hour.
• Security: change your password (or, if you signed up with a social account, Set a Password without needing a current one); turn on Two Factor Authentication (see Two-factor authentication below); and Log Out Other Browser Sessions, which asks for your password and signs you out everywhere except the browser you're using.
• Connected account: connect Google, Facebook or TikTok so you can sign in without a password, or Disconnect it. You can have one connected account at a time; connecting another replaces it. If a social account is your only way in, set a password first (use Forgot your password? on the sign-in page) or we won't let you disconnect it.
• Delete account: permanently deletes your account after you confirm your password. An account that has listings, including deleted ones, can't be deleted this way: contact us and we'll close it for you.

Changing your password, turning on two-factor authentication and deleting your account all ask for your current password. If you signed up with a social account, set one first under Set a Password in Account settings.

Two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication adds a second step to signing in. After your password, or after the Google, Facebook or TikTok button, we ask for a 6-digit code from an app on your phone. Someone who learns your password, or gets into your social account, still can't get into your Maskani Yetu account without your phone.

Before you start

• An authenticator app on your phone, such as Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator. Any app that scans a QR code and shows 6-digit codes works, including most password managers.
• A password on your account. Turning two-factor on or off asks for it. If you signed up with a social account, fill in Set a Password at the top of the Security tab first. Until you do, the two-factor section says "Set a password above to turn on two-factor authentication."

Turn it on

1. Open Account Settings → Security. Under Two Factor Authentication, choose Enable and enter your password. You won't be asked for it again on this device for 3 hours.
2. In your authenticator app, add an account and scan the QR code. If you can't scan it, type the Setup Key shown under it instead.
3. Type the 6-digit code the app shows into Code and choose Confirm. The page now says "You have enabled two factor authentication."
4. Save the 8 recovery codes that appear, in a password manager or printed and somewhere safe. They're your way back in if you lose your phone.

Two-factor isn't on until you choose Confirm. If you choose Cancel or leave the page first, it stays off and you start again from Enable; delete the half-added entry from your app.

Signing in with it

1. Sign in as usual. Instead of your dashboard, you see "Please confirm access to your account by entering the authentication code provided by your authenticator application."
2. Open your authenticator app, type the current 6-digit code for Maskani Yetu into Code and choose Sign in. Codes change every 30 seconds; if one is refused, wait for the next.
3. No phone to hand? Choose Use a recovery code, type one of your recovery codes and choose Sign in.

You can try 5 codes a minute. After that, wait a minute and try again.

Recovery codes

• Each recovery code works once. When you use one, it's swapped for a new one, so you always have 8. Choose Show Recovery Codes to see the current list after using one.
• If you think someone has seen your codes, choose Regenerate Recovery Codes. You get 8 new ones and the old ones stop working.

New phone or turning it off

• Moving to a new phone: many authenticator apps can transfer their accounts. If yours can't, sign in (with a code from the old phone or a recovery code), choose Disable, then Enable again and scan the new QR code with the new phone. Your old recovery codes stop working; save the new ones.
• Turning it off: choose Disable and enter your password. Signing in goes back to just your password or social account.
• Lost your phone and your recovery codes? We can't let you in without one of them. Contact us from the email address on your account and we'll help you get back in.

Emails we send you

• Account emails: your 6-digit verification code, password reset links, and a notice to your old address when your email is changed.
• Policy change notices: when our privacy policy or terms & conditions changes, the new wording takes effect the day we publish it and we email every registered user with a verified email. These are service notices, so there's no unsubscribe link.
• Enquiries, tour requests and review alerts for your listings, covered in the other guides.

Current versions:

• Privacy policy, effective 3 October 2026
• Terms & conditions, effective 27 September 2026

Cookies and your privacy

On your first visit a banner asks whether we may use Google Analytics cookies. Choose Accept analytics or Only essential. Nothing is set for analytics until you accept, and we never send Google your name, email, phone number or messages. To change your mind, choose Cookie settings at the bottom of any page; choosing Only essential also removes the analytics cookies already set. The Privacy policy has the details.

Common questions

I didn't get my code.

Check your spam folder and that the address on the Verify page is right. When the countdown ends, choose Resend. If the address is wrong, choose Change it in Account Settings on the Verify page and correct it there; we send a new code to the corrected address.

It says my code has expired or was already used.

Choose Resend and use the newest code.

I signed up with Google. How do I sign in with a password?

Signed in, open Account settings and fill in Set a Password (no current password needed). Signed out, use Forgot your password? on the sign-in page. After that you can use either method.

Why don't I see "Upgrade Now"?

Your account is already a lister (or a staff account). Look for Lister Profile in the account menu.

Can I change my handle later?

Yes, under Lister Profile. Your old profile address stops working, so update any links you've shared.

My authenticator code is refused.

Check you're reading the Maskani Yetu entry in the app, and type the code before it changes. If every code is refused, the time on your phone may be wrong: turn on automatic date and time in your phone's settings. Meanwhile you can sign in with a recovery code.

My account has been deactivated.

Our team deactivated it, usually after a report, and you're signed out on your next page load. Contact us if you think it's a mistake.

Getting help

• Contact us or email [email protected].
• Read our safety tips before meeting anyone for a viewing.

Next steps

• Profile & team: set up your public profile and team
• Property management: create and manage listings
• Managing submissions: handle enquiries and tours
• Reviews & ratings: how reviews work and how to earn badges