It's a criminal offence for a landlord to evict a tenant over debt – Rent Control

The Rent Control Department says a landlord has no right to lock out a tenant from an apartment over debt.

The Public Relations Officer of the Department, Emmanuel Kprosu, explained that no matter the offence, a landlord has no right to lock them out.

He stated that the landlord has a responsibility to report any criminal offence to the police.

He said if the issues are related to rent, then the landlord must report them to the department.

“A landlord has no right to lock out a tenant, no matter what the tenant has done. If it is a criminal offence, then you have to report it to the police. If the issues are related to rent, you have to come to the department. You cannot lock out the tenant or disconnect his electricity or water. That is a criminal offence. Unless a court has granted that order, the Department and the Police will enforce this order.”

He stressed that there are processes for addressing tenancy disagreements and that Rent Control is the legal body mandated to deal with them.

“Even if the tenant is indebted to a landlord, you have no right to lock out the tenant. It is a criminal offence. You have to report the person, so we will assist you in addressing the issue.”

Meanwhile, he has posited that there is no free rent in Ghana and that the assertion that landlords are obligated to grant tenants three months of amnesty or notice is not supported by the law.

“There is no law that mandates the landlord to grant you three months’ notice before evicting you. It will be out of the landlord’s own will to do so. But tenants are required to pay their rent for the period they stayed in a rented apartment.”