The rising cost of rent in Ghana, coupled with the growing practice of landlords demanding large sums as advance payments, has become a major concern for many households, particularly low- and middle-income earners struggling to secure affordable accommodation.
Against this backdrop, President John Dramani Mahama has urged tenants to report landlords who charge excessive rent advances, as part of efforts to ensure stricter enforcement of housing regulations.
Speaking during a meeting with Organised Labour at the Jubilee House on Tuesday, March 17, the President acknowledged the heavy burden housing costs continue to place on citizens, noting that a significant portion of household income is spent on accommodation. He stressed the need for a collective national effort to address the issue, calling for collaboration between government, the private sector, and labour unions to develop a sustainable housing policy.
“Housing is a major problem, and for households, it is consuming their income. We need to have a national housing dialogue and decide how, between the private sector, government, and labour, we can come together and come up with a social housing policy to make sure that we provide affordable housing for workers to purchase on a mortgage or to be able to rent at a favourable cost,” he stated.
H.E John Mahama attributed the persistent issue of high rent advances to the country’s housing deficit, explaining that the imbalance between supply and demand has created opportunities for some landlords to exploit tenants.
He noted that although the law limits rent advances to six months, many landlords continue to demand payments far beyond that period. According to him, the situation is worsened by the reluctance of both tenants and landlords to seek resolution through the appropriate legal channels.
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“The reason why the private house owners are taking advantage is because of the deficit in housing. We have the rent court, and we say do not take more than six months of rent advance, but the one who is renting and the house owner are both not prepared to go to the rent court,” he explained.
President Mahama therefore encouraged tenants to make use of the existing legal system by reporting such cases, assuring that appropriate action would be taken against offenders.
“You can go and report him to the rent court, and we will hold that landlord accountable,” he emphasised.
His comments come at a time when concerns continue to grow over the widespread demand for rent advances of up to two years, a practice widely criticised as unlawful and exploitative, and one that remains a major barrier to accessing decent housing in the country.
