The Public Relations Officer at the Rent Control Department, Emmanuel Hovey Kporsu, has said that no landlord has the right to evict a tenant within the period that an existing tenancy agreement is active.
He explained that it has been embarking on a sensitisation program to ensure that both landlords and their tenants are treated fairly.
He added that this assessment program is also to bring harmony into homes, ensuring that landlords do not short-change their tenants.
“For newly-built premises, and then premises that are having disputes, so, we built these assessments for buildings that there are disputes in. Because, the landlords are demanding so much from the tenants, and if the tenant does not understand, and because he knows this provision in the act, comes to access it so that a realistic determination can be made,” he said.
Speaking to Daniel Oduro on The Lowdown on GhanaWeb TV, Emmanuel Hovey Kporsu further stated that there is an existing right that many tenants do not know, and for which reason, do not explore.
He stated that whatever the case is, it becomes illegal for any landlord to evict a tenant during a period that there is an existing tenancy between them.
“There is this right of tenants that we’re not exploring. If you report a landlord for such an issue, the landlord has no right to evict you or come out with excuses like he is going to renovate the place. Until a tenancy expires, the law says that if you don’t contravene any of the provisions in the act, the landlord has no right to evict you,” he explained.
He also stated that it is illegal for a landlord to even decide to refund a tenant’s money within an existing tenancy, unless that tenant has breached provision of the agreement.
“So, this cannot be a basis for a landlord to evict you. Of course, I understand that after your tenancy, he can tell you that, no, I don’t want to renew again, but within your tenancy, the landlord cannot say that I want to refund your money for you because you’ve gone to report him on this assessment issue,” he added.
Emmanuel Hovey Kporsu was on The Lowdown with Frederick Opoku, the Secretary-General of the National Tenant Union of Ghana, as they discussed the topic, “The daunting challenges of rent in Ghana.”
Watch the full interview below:
You can also watch this episode of People & Places here:
AE/WA
