'I'm warning you!' - Rent Commissioner 'fights' UG over planned 26% hostel rent hike

Rent Commissioner, Fredrick Opoku, has issued a stern warning to the University of Ghana (UG) against a planned 26% increase in rent at its Legon diaspora hostels, insisting that the institution must comply with the country’s rent laws.

He said the Rent Control Department had written to the university over the proposed increase but received a response indicating that the department had no supervisory authority over its operations.

Speaking on Starr FM’s Morning Star on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Opoku said the department was preparing to seek legal advice from the Attorney General on the matter.

He explained that the university had registered as a private entity, a development that initially raised questions about the department’s authority to intervene in its rental operations.

However, he maintained that the institution could not exempt itself from the Rent Act simply because it operated as a university.

“We are saying that Legon, for example, is sending a bad signal to the country,” he said, warning that the department would not tolerate what he considered an attempt by the institution to disregard the law.

Rent Commissioner vows crackdown on hostel owners who violate rent laws

Opoku stressed that the department would apply the law equally to all private entities and would not allow any institution to operate above the country’s legal framework.

“There will not be any selective justice. And Legon is not bigger than the laws of the republic,” he stated.

He further indicated that the department could seek an injunction against the hostel operator following advice from the Attorney General.

He described the response from the university as inappropriate and warned that it must desist from any action that could undermine the authority of the Rent Control Department.

“I am not pleading with them. I’m warning them. They must desist from increasing the rent without approval,” he indicated.

Opoku added that the department would not countenance unlawful conduct under his leadership, insisting that the law must apply to the university’s hostel operations in the same way it applies to other private entities.

University of Ghana wrote to tell us we don't supervise them after they planned a 26% hostel fee hike. Legon is not above the law. We will seek the AG's advice and injunct them.

- Fredrick Opoku, Rent Commissioner

#MorningStarr w/ @thenanaaba & @ArafatMusahh https://t.co/hdH8ZRm8z1

— Starr 103.5 FM (@starr1035fm) October 28, 2026

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