Rental experiences, tears

Credence Real Estate and Asset Management was registered in 2022 with a clear vision: to own, manage, and build value through real estate.

Like many property owners, we began with our own properties and made a deliberate decision to venture into rentals.

On paper, it looked straightforward. In reality, it became one of the most defining learning curves of our journey.

Our very first tenant introduced us to a side of real estate no brochure ever explains.

What started as a routine tenancy gradually unfolded into a series of challenging experiences that tested our systems, patience, and understanding of Ghana’s rental landscape.

From April 2025, the situation escalated through multiple channels—rent control, police involvement, court processes, and even national security engagements. It was complex, demanding, and at times exhausting.

Yet, by the end of January 2026, we successfully recovered full possession of the property.

Looking back, we are convinced those lessons were not accidental. They were necessary—especially for property owners and investors who intend to venture into rentals without fully understanding the risks, legal realities, and operational discipline required.

What we learned in that period reshaped how we approach property management, tenant selection, documentation, and dispute resolution.

This experience is not just our story; it is a cautionary and educational tale for landlords, developers, and first-time investors across Ghana.

Stay with us as we unpack this journey—step by step. The real lessons are just beginning, and some of them may surprise you.

Our rental story

We entered into the tenancy agreement in April 2025, confident that we were making a sound and reasonable decision. At the time, everything looked straightforward.

The terms were discussed, the expectations seemed clear, and the tenant appeared agreeable.

Like many first-time landlords, we believed mutual understanding and good faith would carry the relationship forward.

What we learned very quickly is this: a tenancy agreement is far more a legal relationship than it is a trust relationship.

Trust may start the conversation, but the law is what sustains—or ends—it.

The agreement was structured for a one-year tenancy.

However, instead of the tenant paying a full year’s rent in advance, we agreed to a four-month advance payment cycle—meaning rent would be paid three times within the year. 

In addition, the tenant paid one extra month as a security deposit before moving in.

On the surface, this arrangement seemed flexible and fair. In hindsight, it was one of the most dangerous decisions we made.

We will return to this point later, because its consequences only became clear when things began to unravel.

The tenant paid the first four months’ rent and the security deposit and took possession of the property.

At that point, everything appeared normal.

But one of the most important lessons we want property owners to understand early is this: tenancy agreements should never be rushed.

They are not mere formalities.

They exist to protect

both landlord and tenant—especially when the relationship turns difficult.

As a landlord, every “do” and “don’t” must be clearly spelt out in writing. Rights of entry, termination conditions, notice periods, use of the property, and exceptional circumstances all matter.

This is why tenancy agreements cannot be overly simple or casually drafted. What is not written may as well not exist.

Before the agreement was signed, we had verbally informed the tenant that the property was also listed for sale and could be sold if a suitable buyer emerged.

At the time, this felt sufficient.

The tenant acknowledged it, and we moved on.

However, that understanding was never captured anywhere in the written agreement.

That omission would soon become critical.

What made the situation even more delicate was that we executed two tenancy agreements on the same day.

One property was fully ready, while the second was still being prepared.

The understanding—though never reduced into writing—was that the tenant would make advance payment for the second property to enable us to complete furnishing and make it ready for occupation.

Based on this understanding, both agreements were signed.

The tenant paid for only one property.

Within the next three days, he moved into the first property on the same day payment was made.

However, he refused to make payment for the second property after the agreement had already been executed.

What had initially been positioned as a coordinated engagement across two properties quietly became a one-sided commitment—one that left us exposed from the very beginning.

Barely two months into the tenancy, we received interest from a prospective buyer.

Acting in line with the agreement, we prepared a written notice of our intention not to extend the tenancy beyond the initial four-month rent period already paid.

However, we did not serve it immediately, as we were contemplating our next move and weighing the best course of action.

That moment marked the true beginning of the ordeal.

What followed challenged everything we thought we understood about rentals, agreements, and enforcement.

Conversations changed tone.

Cooperation disappeared. And what had started as a simple landlord–tenant relationship quietly transformed into something far more complicated.

That was when the drama truly began.

Part Two will take us into what happens when written agreements meet resistance—and why enforcement is often more complex than ownership itself.

Stage

At this stage, no written notice had been served. We were still carefully contemplating our next steps: whether to allow the tenancy to continue as agreed, extend it, or proceed with a sale of the property. Nothing had been finalised.

Then July happened

In July, an incident occurred on the premises involving the tenant and one of his guests.

The situation escalated into an assault case that drew the attention of law enforcement.

In the process, our staff member who served as both security and cleaner on the property was arrested, along with one of the tenant’s own staff members.

What should have remained a quiet residential property suddenly became the subject of a police investigation.

Almost at the same time, we conducted a routine inventory and inspection of the premises.

What we discovered raised serious concerns.

The main living area of the property had been converted into a podcast studio.

Equipment had been installed, the space altered, and the original residential use significantly changed, all without our consent. 

This was in direct violation of the tenancy agreement, which restricted the use of the property strictly to residential purposes. At that point, from our perspective as landlords, the line had clearly been crossed.

Following these developments, we proceeded to serve a written notice.

Shortly after the notice was served, the tenant responded via text message. He indicated that he would need time to find another place.

Through his security, he engaged our team to assist him in identifying alternative accommodation.

Our team actively did so, presented available options, and we initially anticipated a peaceful and orderly relocation.

The writer is the CEO, Credence Real Estate and Asset Management.
 
( To be continued)

During these discussions, the tenant reminded us that prior to moving into the current property, he had expressed interest in another property we owned and asked whether he could be transferred to that house instead.

That request was not new. Before moving into the current property, he had indeed shown interest in one of our other units.

At the time, however, that property was still under preparation and not ready for rental.

This had been clearly communicated to him both before and after he moved in. Nothing had changed.

The property remained unavailable.

More importantly, no advance rent payment had been made in respect of that second property, despite an agreement having been signed.

The understanding, though not reduced into writing, was that advance payment would enable us to complete furnishing and make the property ready for occupation.

That payment never came.

Around this same period, we received a formal letter from the tenant’s lawyers requesting the execution and enforcement of what they referred to as a “second contract.”

In that letter, they claimed it was binding on us to release the second property to their client.

This position ignored a fundamental fact: the tenant had breached that agreement from the outset by failing to make the advance rent payment expressly stipulated in the contract.

We responded by reiterating that the property was not ready and that the contractual conditions precedent had not been met.

After that response, there was no formal reply; no objection, no request for renegotiation, and no attempt to clarify terms. Silence followed.

It was shortly after this silence that we received yet another letter again, from the tenant’s lawyers.

That was the moment we realised this was no longer a simple landlord-tenant disagreement.

It had entered a different phase altogether.

And that was when the real drama began.

Part Three will take us into what happens when lawyers step in—and why landlords must be prepared long before that letter arrives.