Deciding who rents: non-financial factors influencing landlords’ tenant selection across residential categories in urban Ghana

This study examined the importance of non-financial factors considered by landlords and their variation across residential classes. The paper addresses one research question: how do non-financial factors influence landlords’ tenant selection decisions across different residential classes in the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area (GKMA)? A quantitatively driven mixed-methods design was employed, involving 372 landlords from first-class (n = 115), second-class (n = 144) and third-class (n = 113) residential areas in Kumasi. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Relative Importance Index, the Kruskal–Wallis H test, and Dunn’s post hoc test with Bonferroni correction, while qualitative responses underwent content analysis. Overall, 79.2% of landlords had rejected prospective tenants for non-financial reasons. Criminal record ranked highest among first-class (RII = 0.835) and second-class landlords (RII = 0.810), while age and lifestyle compatibility ranked highest among third-class landlords (RII = 0.814 each). Post-hoc results revealed differences between first- and second-class landlords for household size, tenant history and trustworthiness; first- and third-class landlords for age, politeness and substance use; and second- and third-class landlords for criminal record, religion and cleanliness (adjusted p < 0.05). The findings demonstrate that tenant-selection decisions are socially embedded. These guidelines promote fair, transparent screening across residential environments.