Documentation v1.0
📖 Official Documentation

Pekugara
Student Housing

Everything you need to find your perfect student room, list your property, and connect safely — all in one place.

📱 Version 1.0.0
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
👥 Students & Landlords
Section 1

What is Pekugara?

Pekugara is a dedicated student housing platform built to connect university and college students in Zimbabwe with verified landlords offering affordable, nearby accommodation. The name Pekugara comes from the Shona word meaning "a place to stay" — and that is exactly what the platform delivers.

Whether you are a student searching for a safe, affordable room close to campus, or a landlord looking to fill your property with reliable tenants, Pekugara provides a trusted, transparent, and easy-to-use environment to make that connection happen.

✅
Verified Listings Only
Every property is reviewed by our admin team before going live. No fake listings.
🏷️
Transparent Pricing
Rent prices are always displayed upfront. No hidden fees, no surprises.
💬
Direct Communication
Students message landlords directly. No third-party agents or commissions.
🛡️
Safe Environment
Built-in reporting and blocking protects all users from abuse and fraud.
Section 2

Why Use Pekugara?

🎓 For Students
  • Browse admin-verified listings — no scams
  • Filter by campus distance, furnished, WiFi & more
  • Pay a simple $2 booking fee to send viewing requests
  • Chat directly with landlords — no agents
  • See verified landlord badges for peace of mind
  • Block and report abusive users instantly
🏠 For Landlords
  • List your property for free
  • Reach hundreds of students actively searching
  • Manage all bookings in one organised dashboard
  • Get a verified badge to increase student trust
  • Receive real-time notifications on requests
  • Track occupancy with live counters
Section 3

Getting Started

Creating an Account

Open the Pekugara app and choose your account type on the Welcome screen.

1
Tap "Find a Room" (student) or "List your property" (landlord).
2
Enter your full name, email address, and password.
3
Students: Enter your university or college name.
Landlords: Enter your phone number.
4
Read and accept the Terms of Service and EULA.
5
Tap "Create Account". You can start using the app immediately.
ℹ️
Students can browse listings immediately after creating an account. Landlords can post listings right away, but each listing must be approved by an admin before going live.

Logging In

1
Tap "I already have an account" on the Welcome screen.
2
Enter your registered email and password.
3
Tap "Sign In".
⚠️
If your account has been suspended by a moderator, you will be notified on login and will not be able to access the app.

Account Verification

Getting verified adds a visible green badge to your profile and listings, increasing trust with the other party.

  • Students: Go to Profile → Account Verification → tap "Request Verification". Provide supporting details such as a student ID description.
  • Landlords: Go to Profile → Account Verification → tap "Request Verification". An admin will review your property and identity details.

Once approved, a green Verified ✓ badge will appear on your profile.

Section 4

For Students

Browsing the Home Feed

After logging in, students land on the Home screen showing all available, admin-approved listings.

  • Use the search bar to search by city, campus name, or area.
  • Use the filter chips to instantly filter by Near Campus, Furnished, WiFi, or Ensuite.
  • Pull down on the feed to refresh listings.
  • Listings from users you have blocked are automatically hidden.

Saving Listings

Tap the heart icon ♡ on any listing card to save it. Access all saved listings from the Saved tab. Tap the heart again to unsave.

Viewing a Listing in Detail

Tap any listing card to open the full Detail screen.

  • Swipe through the full-size image gallery.
  • View bedrooms, bathrooms, and maximum tenant capacity.
  • See the full amenities grid (Furnished, WiFi, Ensuite, Parking, Utilities).
  • View the landlord's name and verification status.
  • Report the listing if you believe it is fraudulent.

Booking a Viewing

To request a viewing, students pay a one-time $2 USD booking fee via EcoCash. This confirms your serious interest and protects landlords from time-wasters.

1
On the Detail screen, tap "Pay Booking Fee — $2".
2
Enter your EcoCash phone number.
3
Tap "Send Payment Request". A prompt will appear on your phone.
4
Approve the payment on your EcoCash app. The system confirms automatically within 3 minutes.
5
Tap "Request a Viewing", write a short message to the landlord, and tap "Send Request".
💡
The $2 booking fee is paid once and unlocks viewing requests across all listings — you do not pay it again for each property.

Booking Request Statuses

StatusMeaning
PendingThe landlord has not yet responded to your request.
ConfirmedThe landlord has accepted your viewing request.
RejectedThe landlord has declined your request. You can apply elsewhere.
CancelledYou or the landlord cancelled the request.

After Your Booking is Confirmed

Once a landlord confirms your booking, the Home screen switches to a "Housing Confirmed" view showing your property details and landlord contact information. You can message your landlord directly from this screen.

🏠
Once confirmed, you will no longer see the general listings feed. Your housing journey on Pekugara is complete.

Messaging Landlords

Once you have paid the booking fee, tap "Message Landlord" on any listing's Detail screen to open a direct chat.

  • Messages are delivered in real time.
  • A preview of the listing is shown at the top of the chat.
  • Offensive or abusive language is automatically blocked before sending.
  • All conversations are accessible from the Chats tab.
Section 5

For Landlords

The Landlord Dashboard

After logging in, landlords see a Dashboard showing:

🏘️
Listings
Total number of active properties you have posted.
✅
Confirmed
Total number of students you have confirmed across all listings.
⏳
Pending
Total viewing requests awaiting your response.
➕
Quick Actions
One tap to My Listings or Add New Listing.

Adding a New Listing

Tap "Add new listing" from the dashboard or the + button on My Listings.

Basic Information

  • Title — e.g. "Furnished Room Near UZ Campus"
  • Description — describe the property and any house rules
  • Monthly rent in USD

Location

  • City, full street address, nearest university, and distance in km

Rooms

  • Number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and maximum student capacity (all adjustable with + / − buttons)

Amenities

  • Toggle on/off: Furnished, Ensuite, WiFi, Parking, Utilities Included

Photos

  • Add a minimum of 5 photos (maximum 10).
  • The first photo is automatically the cover image.
  • Show rooms, bathroom, kitchen, and exterior clearly.

Tap "Publish Listing" to submit for admin review. Once approved, it will go live immediately.

⚠️
Listings with misleading photos, false descriptions, or that violate community guidelines will be rejected by the admin team.

Managing Bookings

Go to My Listings and tap a listing card to expand its booking requests.

ActionWhat Happens
ConfirmStudent is marked as housed and receives an instant "Confirmed" notification. Their feed locks to your property.
RejectRequest is declined. Student is notified and can apply elsewhere.
RemoveRemove a confirmed student (e.g., they moved out). Student is notified their housing was cancelled.

Each listing shows an occupancy progress bar so you can see at a glance how many spots remain.

Section 6

Safety & Moderation

Content Moderation

  • All listings are reviewed by a human admin before going live.
  • The in-app chat has a built-in offensive language filter that blocks abusive messages before they are sent.
  • The admin team can suspend accounts or delete listings in response to verified reports.

Reporting a User or Listing

If you encounter abusive behaviour, a suspicious listing, or inappropriate content:

Report a listing

1
Open the listing Detail screen.
2
Tap the flag icon 🚩 in the top-right corner.
3
Select a reason: Inappropriate Content, Spam/Misleading, Fraud/Scam, Harassment/Abuse, or Other.
4
Optionally add a description, then tap "Submit Report".

Report a user from chat

1
Open the chat with that user.
2
Tap the ⋮ menu in the top-right corner.
3
Tap "Report [Name]", select a reason, and submit.
✅
All reports are reviewed by the Pekugara moderation team within 24 hours. Substantiated reports may result in account suspension or permanent removal.

Blocking a User

If a user is harassing you or behaving inappropriately, you can block them instantly from chat.

1
Open your chat with that user.
2
Tap the ⋮ menu in the top-right corner.
3
Tap "Block [Name]" and confirm.

What happens when you block someone

  • Their listings are immediately removed from your Home feed.
  • An automatic report is filed with the moderation team.
  • The admin team is notified instantly.
  • You are returned to the Home screen where all their content is gone.

Managing blocked users

Go to Profile → Safety → Blocked users to view and unblock anyone you have previously blocked.

Section 7

Account & Profile Management

Editing Your Profile

1
Go to the Profile tab.
2
Tap "Edit" next to Personal Info.
3
Update your full name, university, and phone number. Email cannot be changed.
4
Tap "Save".

Logging Out

Go to Profile → tap the logout icon (top-right) → confirm.

Deleting Your Account

⚠️
Account deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. All your data — listings, bookings, messages, and profile — will be erased forever.

Go to Profile → scroll to bottom → "Delete Account" → confirm twice.

Section 8

Notifications

Pekugara sends both in-app notifications and push notifications to keep you informed in real time.

NotificationWho Receives ItMeaning
New booking requestLandlordA student submitted a viewing request.
Booking confirmedStudentA landlord accepted your viewing request.
Booking rejectedStudentA landlord declined your viewing request.
Booking cancelledStudentYour confirmed housing was cancelled.
User blocked (report)Admin teamA block event was reported to moderation.

Access all notifications from Profile → the bell icon in the top-right corner.

Section 9

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Pekugara free to use? ▼
Yes. Creating an account, browsing listings, saving listings, and messaging landlords are all free. Students pay a one-time $2 USD booking fee via EcoCash to unlock viewing requests.
Why do I need to pay a $2 booking fee? ▼
The booking fee confirms that you are a serious student and not a time-waster. It is paid once and unlocks viewing requests across all listings on the platform — you do not pay per listing.
How do I know a listing is genuine? ▼
Every listing is manually reviewed and approved by our moderation team before appearing in the feed. Listings with false or misleading information are rejected. You can also check whether the landlord has a Verified badge.
I paid the booking fee but the listing was taken. Can I get a refund? ▼
The $2 booking fee is not tied to a specific listing — it unlocks the ability to send viewing requests across the entire platform. It is non-refundable once paid.
Can a landlord see my contact details? ▼
Your profile shows your full name and university to the landlord once a booking request is made. All communication before that happens securely within the in-app chat. No personal contact details are shared prematurely.
What should I do if I experience harassment? ▼
Block the user immediately from the chat screen (⋮ menu → Block). This removes them from your feed and automatically notifies our moderation team, who will review the case within 24 hours.
How long does admin approval take for a new listing? ▼
Listings are typically reviewed within 24 hours. You will receive an in-app notification once your listing is approved and live.
Is Pekugara available outside Zimbabwe? ▼
Currently Pekugara is focused on the Zimbabwean student housing market, with cities including Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare, Gweru, and Masvingo. Expansion to other regions is planned for future versions.
Does it cost anything to list a property? ▼
No. Posting listings on Pekugara is completely free for landlords.