Everything people ask about renting in Bamenda.

Nkwata is a house-finding platform for Bamenda, Northwest Region, Cameroon. You search for free and privately, then pay 500 FCFA to unlock one house — the landlord or caretaker's contact, a walkthrough video, and the exact map pin to the door.

Searching is completely free with no account. Unlocking one listing costs 500 FCFA. A bundle of fifteen unlocks is 2,500 FCFA a month. Landlords pay 1,000 FCFA per house per month, charged only while the listing is live.

Yes. Every house, every filter, no account required, no limit. You only pay when you choose to unlock a specific listing.

MTN Mobile Money or Orange Money. No card is needed. Nkwata never sees or stores your mobile money PIN, and nobody legitimate will ever ask you for it.

No. Nkwata takes no commission on any lease and never holds rent, deposits or caution money. It is a noticeboard connecting seekers to landlords, not an estate agent.

No. Your search is private. A landlord receives your phone number only when you choose to contact them. Your shortlist and saved searches stay on your own phone.

It depends on the quarter and the type of place. A single room runs 12,000 to 32,000 FCFA a month, a self-contained 28,000 to 55,000, a two-bedroom 45,000 to 90,000, and a three-bedroom 75,000 to 130,000. Old Town is cheapest; Up Station is most expensive.

Usually between three and twelve months. Three to six is common on mid-range apartments, and six to twelve on cheaper single rooms. A caution of about one month often sits on top. The advance is negotiable more often than the rent.

One of four specific things, shown on the listing itself: phone confirmed only, identity checked against a national ID and signed declaration, ownership documents examined, or an agent physically visited the property and matched it to the person listing it.

No. Most land in the Northwest Region is untitled. You need to confirm your identity and sign a declaration that you own the house or hold written authority to rent it. Documents raise your verification tier and earn more calls, but are never required.

A person a landlord appoints to manage a property day to day — showing the house, holding keys and answering enquiries. On Nkwata the caretaker is the first responder on enquiries, but is structurally prevented from receiving money, changing the rent, moving the property or transferring ownership.

Never pay any money before you have entered the property. No legitimate landlord in Bamenda requires payment before entry, and a viewing fee is not a normal cost here. Ask whether the person is the owner or holds written authority, and ask a neighbour whose house it is.

Run the tap for a full minute and ask where the water comes from. Test every socket. Look at the ceiling corners for staining. Check every lock, bathroom drainage, kitchen ventilation, the approach road in the rains, night security, how many households share the compound, and phone signal inside the bedroom.

It depends on what you need. Nkwen has the most houses and best value with constant transport. Up Station is quietest and safest but most expensive. Mankon suits families. Old Town is cheapest and loudest. Mile 2 is best for transport. Bambili serves university students.

Partly. Install it from your browser and houses you have already opened stay readable when the signal drops, along with your shortlist and saved places. New searches and unlocking need a connection.

We refund you. Tell us within seven days and we return the fee to the mobile money account you paid from, normally within five working days. Our full refund policy is published.

Bamenda, in the Northwest Region of Cameroon, covering Nkwen, Up Station, Mankon, Old Town, Ntarikon, Mile 2, Mile 4, Below Foncha and several other quarters, plus Bambili beside the University of Bamenda.

No. Nkwata is a noticeboard. It does not broker, negotiate, or take commission on any tenancy, and it never receives or holds rent, deposits or caution money. Once you contact a landlord, that relationship is between you and them.