Rent control to deploy inspectors nationwide as enforcement drive intensifies

The Acting Rent Commissioner, Frederick Opoku, has announced plans to deploy trained rent inspectors nationwide as part of a major crackdown on violations in Ghana’s rental housing sector.

The move, expected to take effect later this year, is aimed at enforcing long-standing rent laws that have largely been ignored for decades.

“I am setting up rent inspectors… and that by September, we should be able to have well-trained, professional rent inspectors,” he revealed during an interview on GhanaWeb TV.

According to him, the enforcement phase will follow months of public education and engagement, giving landlords and tenants enough time to understand and comply with the law.

“Until September… I don’t think there’s a need to rush, but to engage and to educate. From September, there will be full implementation,” he explained.

Under Ghana’s rent laws, landlords are required to issue rent cards and register tenancy agreements with the Rent Control Department within two weeks of renting out a property. However, these rules have rarely been enforced, contributing to widespread abuses in the system.

Opoku warned that once the grace period ends, authorities will not hesitate to act against defaulters.

“Anyone who believes that he bought his cement, roofed his house and that he will not obey the laws of the republic, trust me, it’s going to be a showdown between the landlord, tenants and the government,” he cautioned.

Beyond enforcement, the Commissioner also outlined plans to modernise the Rent Control system, including digitising its operations to improve efficiency and reduce overcrowding at its offices.

“We are selling it digitally. Very soon, you’ll see a digitised rent control… where our activities will be fully digitised,” he said.

He further disclosed plans to expand the department’s presence nationwide by working with local assemblies to establish more offices, making services more accessible to the public.

As reforms gather momentum, the government hopes the new measures will bring fairness, accountability, and order to a sector that has long been plagued by disputes and legal breaches.

NA/AM

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