Due-diligence checklist before you sign a lease or sale

A weekend of checks at the front of a transaction is the cheapest insurance a buyer or tenant will ever buy. The twelve-point list below is what we run before we sign anything, whether it is a twelve-month rental in Dzorwulu or a sale in East Legon. Half of these take a phone call; the other half need a short site visit. None of them require a lawyer, although a lawyer should see the paperwork before it is signed.

1. Title search

For a sale, commission an official search at the Lands Commission. For a rental, at minimum ask the landlord or agent to show the title document and verify that the name on it matches the person signing the lease or receiving the advance. If the title is in a company's name, ask for evidence that the signatory is authorised to let or to sell.

2. Planning-permit check

Call or visit the Town and Country Planning Department at the relevant municipal or metropolitan assembly. Confirm the property has a building permit and that its use matches your intended use. A residential permit does not cover a ground-floor shop. A structure built without a permit is vulnerable to demolition notices, which land with very little warning in some neighbourhoods.

3. Utility connections

Water and electricity meters should be registered. Ask for the last three bills. Note the meter reading at handover. For new-build blocks, ask which units share a meter with a common-area panel — it is a common source of disputes when the bill arrives.

4. Neighbour check

Knock on two doors either side. Ask about power reliability, water supply, noise, and security. Neighbours will tell you more in five minutes than the agent will in five viewings. In gated estates, speak to the estate manager or the head of the residents' association.

5. Structural walk-through

Look up. Look down. Look in the corners. Water stains on the ceiling mean a leak somewhere above. Cracks wider than a pencil, especially diagonal ones near windows, need a second opinion. Soft tiles underfoot near a bathroom or kitchen suggest slab damp. Roof inspection from the garden tells you whether the gutters are intact.

6. Plumbing pressure and drainage

Open every tap. Wait for hot water if a water heater is installed. Flush every toilet and listen for constant running after the tank refills. Watch a basin drain — anything slower than thirty seconds means a partial blockage worth fixing before you move in.

7. Electrical continuity

Take a phone charger and plug it into every socket. Switch every light. Find the breaker panel; ask whether circuits are labelled. If the property has solar, inverter, or generator backup, ask to see the switchover in action. Some landlords list backup power and the inverter has not worked since 2022.

8. Service-charge history for gated communities

If the property is in a gated community, request the last two years of service-charge statements, and ask what the charge covers — security, waste, lifts, generator diesel, grounds, water reticulation. Find out whether any special assessments are on the horizon for generator replacement or roof works. An unannounced special assessment within the first year is a common grievance.

9. Service-fee clarity

Rentals outside gated estates sometimes include an informal caretaker fee, a bin fee, a security fee, or a generator-diesel share. Get each item named in writing in the tenancy agreement. Vague clauses about tenant to pay all related fees are where future arguments live.

10. Move-in condition report

On handover day, walk the property with the landlord or agent. Photograph every wall, every surface, every appliance. Note every existing scratch, mark or missing fitting in a short written report and have both parties initial each page. A signed condition report is the cleanest way to protect your deposit when you move out.

11. Neighbourhood verification

Confirm the property actually sits in the neighbourhood the listing names. Habivista's /neighborhoods pages carry price summaries, school proximity, safety scores, and transit notes for the main Accra and Tema neighbourhoods. Cross-checking the listing against the neighbourhood page catches mis-labelled properties before you visit.

12. The paperwork walkthrough

Before signing, sit with the tenancy or sale agreement for an hour, clause by clause. Confirm the parties are correctly named, the property is correctly described, the term matches what you agreed, the rent and advance comply with the Rent Act for residential tenancies, the deposit is defined and refundable, the termination terms are reasonable, and every signatory is identified with a Ghana Card number. Ask yourself: if I had to take this document to court, would it tell a clear story?

The twelve in a line

• Title search.
• Planning permit.
• Utility connections.
• Neighbour check.
• Structural walk-through.
• Plumbing pressure and drainage.
• Electrical continuity.
• Service-charge history.
• Service-fee clarity.
• Move-in condition report.
• Neighbourhood verification.
• Paperwork walkthrough.

Run all twelve, keep the evidence in one folder, and you will sign with clear eyes. Miss three or four and the transaction starts making decisions for you instead.