Accra, Ghana — President John Dramani Mahama has called on tenants to report landlords who demand rent advances beyond the legal limit, stressing the need for stronger enforcement to curb exploitation in Ghana’s housing sector.
Speaking during a meeting with Organised Labour at the Jubilee House on Tuesday, March 17, the President highlighted the growing burden of housing costs on households, noting that accommodation expenses continue to consume a significant portion of incomes.
He emphasized the need for a national housing dialogue involving government, the private sector, and labour unions to develop a sustainable social 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.
President Mahama attributed the increasing demand for high rent advances to Ghana’s housing deficit, which has allowed some landlords to impose unlawful charges on tenants. While the law limits rent advances to six months, some landlords still charge more.
“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.
He urged tenants to report cases of overcharging, assuring that authorities would hold offending landlords accountable.
“You can report them to the rent court, and we will ensure they are dealt with,” he stated.
The President’s remarks come amid rising public concern over landlords demanding up to two years’ rent advance, a practice widely criticized as unlawful and exploitative.
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