THE 3 UNFORGIVABLE MISTAKES IGNORANT RENTAL MARKETERS KEEP MAKING

MISTAKE 1: Marketing in the Wrong Platforms (And Using 1976 Methods)

Some marketers still believe tenants walk around estates like pilgrims, reading “TO LET” signs written in charcoal on rusty gates.

And just when I thought I’d seen everything…

I recently saw a rental listing in a July 2025 newspaper our local butchery wrapped my beef with.

A newspaper.
In 2025.
Who were you targeting?
Time travellers?
Heritage researchers?
Your retired uncle who reads every page including the obituaries?

Meanwhile…

Real tenants are searching at 5:47 AM on their phones, with earphones in, eating breakfast.

But many marketers are stuck in:

Chalk on walls

Fb.k groups run by scammers

Zero visibility pages

Hoping for referrals

Whisper marketing

“God will bring tenants” strategy

Posters taped on kiosks (that get rained on by lunchtime)

This is not marketing.
This is wishful archaeology.

 The 2025 Solution:

Be where actual house hunters are.

Kenya has 3 serious rental platforms:

 Renters Hub
 Hauzisha
 BuyRentKenya

That’s where thousands of tenants search — day and night — with real intent.

Stop depending on platforms designed for gossip, memes, and arguments about Arsenal.

 MISTAKE 2: Posting “3 Photos of Darkness” and Calling It Marketing

Some agents post houses like they’re hiding a crime scene.

You find:

A toilet that looks surprised

A sitting room that resembles a cave

A bedroom captured with a phone from 2009

A kitchen that looks like it wants to resign

Then they complain:
“Tenants don’t call me.”

Of course they don’t.
You’re marketing shadows, my friend.

 The 2025 Solution:

Real estate is visual. Use:

 10–20 clear photos
 From outside to inside of the house
 Clean spaces
 Natural lighting
A simple video if possible
ZERO filters or Photoshop

Tenants want to see the house.
Not guess it.

MISTAKE 3: Giving Almost No Information About the House

Marketing toddlers think tenants only care about:

Bedrooms

Location

Price

This is why you get 100 calls from the wrong people.

Why you show the house 20 times and no one rents it.

Why landlords think the market is “slow.”

Reality:

Tenants rent because of:

Water situation
Security
Schools & hospitals
Public transport
Noise levels
Environment
Deposit + extra fees
Benefits of the features

Don’t write:
“Balcony.”

Write:
“Private balcony where you can relax, sunbathe, workout, read or hang laundry without disturbance.”

That’s how you turn features into SALES.

And for the love of sanity…
Please state:

 Deposit
 Garbage fees
 Water charges
 Security fees
 Any extra costs

Hidden fees = lost tenants.

The 2025 Solution:

If you don’t know which details matter,
Renters Hub’s posting system already has dozens of features + benefits written for you.

You just tick what applies to your house.
Simple.
Fast.
Professional.

THE TRUTH:

Most houses stay vacant because of poor marketing, not poor location.

Some of you are sitting on gold but presenting it like gravel.

Now, Rental Marketers, it's time to do the right thing.

Advertise your vacant houses like a marketing genius.

Marketing is a fun game of chess. Let's play it.