'Apply for assessment or pay the fees' – Rent Commissioner tells students

Acting Rent Commissioner, Frederick Opoku, has urged tertiary students who are dissatisfied with hostel fees to formally apply to the Rent Control Department for an assessment instead of relying on complaints on social media.

According to him, the department’s ability to intervene in disputes over hostel fees is subject to affected students initiating the process through a formal application.

Speaking in a video shared on X and sighted by GhanaWeb on August 25, 2026, Opoku said students have a responsibility to contribute to the enforcement of the law governing rental charges.

“You cannot sit in your homes and hostels and ask the Rent Commissioner to ensure that hostel fees are reduced. You have a duty to contribute to the enforcement process,” he said.

He explained that the Rent Control Department has waived the application fee for students seeking an assessment of their hostel facilities.

Opoku advised students who believe their hostel fees have been increased unfairly to request an assessment form from the department, provide details of the hostel and the amount being charged, and submit the application for action.

He said students staying in the same hostel could also submit a joint application and attach the names of all affected students.

“If you fail to make an application for us to come and assess the hostel, you have limited our powers,” he stated.

Watch as Rent Commissioner fumes over 'cubicle' rooms rented to students for GH¢2,000

He stressed that the department could not simply visit a hostel and order the owner to reduce the fees without following the legal process.

“The law says, before Rent Control brings me back your property to come and assess it, to invite the hostel owner to ask him why he or she is increasing the rent or the hostel fees, there must be an application,” he explained.

He said once an application was submitted, the Rent Control Department would direct the appropriate regional or district office to assess the facility and engage the owner over the charges.

Opoku also expressed frustration with students who complain about hostel fees through his direct messages without taking formal action.

“You are not helping me to help you. There’s nothing I can do because I am working within the confines of the law,” he said.

He added that the department would soon shift its attention to commercial rental properties, particularly spaces in marketplaces where high rents may be making it difficult for businesses to secure premises.

“This government is ensuring that we cleanse the entire rental space, be it residential or commercial,” he said.

Opoku maintained that the Rent Control Department was prepared to assist students and other tenants who followed the required procedures, urging them to make use of the mechanisms available to seek redress.

Watch the video below

“You cannot sit in your homes and hostels and ask the Rent Commissioner to ensure that hostel fees are reduced. You have a duty to contribute to the enforcement process. I have done enough, and I am not moving to any hostel again. I cannot go around from hostel to hostel asking… pic.twitter.com/Gn6LBlj6yp

— EDHUB🌍ℹ (@eddie_wrt) August 25, 2026