What is Credence?
Credence is a secure platform that holds rental security deposits in neutral custody on behalf of tenants, while giving agencies the control they need during lease terms. We handle the compliance complexity so you can focus on your business.
The Challenge Agencies Face
Complex Compliance Requirements
South African rental law (Rental Housing Act, National Credit Act) creates strict requirements for handling security deposits. Agencies must:
- ✓ Keep deposits separate and neutral
- ✓ Maintain clear transaction records
- ✓ Respect post-lease periods (7, 14, or 21 days)
- ✓ Return funds or provide justification promptly
- ✓ Handle interest attribution correctly
Administrative Burden
Traditional approaches create operational friction:
- ✓ Managing deposits across multiple bank accounts
- ✓ Manual interest calculations and attribution
- ✓ Tracking statutory periods for each lease
- ✓ Documenting hold requests and payments
- ✓ Preparing audit trails and compliance reports
How Credence Solves It
Neutral Custody
Deposits are held with our regulated banking partner in trust for the tenant. The tenant retains ownership; your agency is not custodian.
Authorized Holds
Request time-limited holds over deposits for sanctioned access during lease terms. You control transactions with full documentation and transparency.
Automated Compliance
Statutory periods, interest attribution, and transaction recording happen automatically. Audit trails are generated continuously.
Core Capabilities
Interest Attribution
All interest earned on held deposits is calculated and automatically attributed to each tenant's balance according to their share of funds.
Multi-Party Visibility
Tenants, agencies, and the bank can all see deposit status, transactions, and holds. No surprises, full transparency.
Seamless Integration
Credence integrates into your existing workflows. Your lease management doesn't change—custody is handled transparently in the background.
Proof of Deposit
Each deposit receives a proof document confirming successful setup, hold amount, and statutory period. No surprises later.
Why Agencies Choose Credence
Reduce Legal Risk
By shifting custodial responsibility to us, you reduce your legal exposure under the Rental Housing Act. We handle compliance; you manage leases.
Eliminate Admin Work
Stop manually tracking deposits, calculating interest, and managing statutory periods. Credence automates it all, freeing your team to focus on tenants and properties.
Improve Transparency
Every transaction is visible to tenants. Less dispute, less friction. Everyone knows exactly what happened to the deposit.
Scale Easily
Whether you manage 10 leases or 1,000, Credence scales without additional administrative burden. Your operational costs don't increase.
Grounded in South African Law
Credence is designed to comply with and simplify the regulatory landscape that governs residential leasing in South Africa.
Rental Housing Act, 1999
Establishes the legal framework for rental housing, including rules on security deposits, dispute resolution, and tenant rights.
Credence automates compliance with deposit holding, interest attribution, and statutory period requirements.
National Credit Act, 2005
Regulates credit transactions and provides consumer protection for rental agreements that include credit arrangements.
Our audit trails and transparency features help agencies demonstrate NCA compliance to regulators and consumers.
Consumer Protection Act, 2008
Protects consumer rights including those of tenants, mandating fair treatment and transparent dealings.
Credence's multi-party visibility and proof-of-deposit system ensures fair dealing and dispute prevention.
SARB Regulations
South African Reserve Bank regulations govern how financial institutions handle trust accounts and client funds.
Deposits are held with a regulated SARB-compliant banking partner under trust arrangements.
Ready to simplify deposit management?
Join South African agencies already using Credence to reduce compliance burden and improve tenant relationships.