A report gathered by Pinaxnews.com with regards to renting in the motherland indicates that property owners/landlords and agents who go all out to request over a half year advance from their occupants prior to leasing their property are obligated to a two-year prison term. This is as indicated by Ghana’s Rent Control laws.
Emmanuel Hovey Kporsu who doubles as the Public Relations Officer of the Rent Control Department, on Joy FM’s Newsfile expressed that property owners/landlords should not take advantage of their inhabitants to recover their investments in the shortest possible time.
The public relations officer further advised the property owners/landlords to rent their resources in accordance to the law.
Quite a number of Ghanaians, especially the youth have raised worry about the housing problems in the nation and approached the public authority to change over the Saglemi Affordable Housing undertaking to a social housing project for rental convenience for poor people.
Emmanuel Kporsu in giving more knowledge disclosed that the occupancy arrangement should consider the principal common liberties of occupants.
This is what Hovey Kporsu had to say;
”any person who has a condition of the grant, renewal or continuance of a tenancy demands in the case of monthly or short tenancy, the payment in advance of more than a month’s rent or in the case of tenancy exceeding 6 months, the payment in advance of more than 6n months rent shall be guilty of an offense and shall upon conviction by the appropriate rent magistrate be liable to a fine not exceeding 500 penalty unit or in default imprisonment term not exceeding 2 years or both”.
On the issue of moving fee, Mr. Kporsu disclosed that it is illegal for an agent to demand any amount from a client on the basis of showing him or her a house or an apartment. He added that their outfit are currently having discussions with regards to the canker and for that matter they will soon train these agents and further give them license to operate. Failure on the side of these agents to comply by the laws will require a withdrawal of the license and further actions.
Checkout the video below;
NB: Video Source; Joys News
