NPP member for the Tema East Constituency, Sammy Darkwa, has welcomed the Rent Control Department’s decision to deploy a specialised task force to crack down on illegal rent advances and tenancy-related violations but insists the government must tackle the root causes of the country’s housing challenges.
His comments follow the launch of a new enforcement task force by the Acting Rent Commissioner, Frederick Opoku, to ensure compliance with Ghana’s tenancy laws. The task force will enforce the legal limit of six months’ rent advance, monitor tenancy agreements, investigate arbitrary hostel accommodation charges and clamp down on unlicensed rental agents.
Speaking on Plan B FM’s Nkosuo Nsem, hosted by Abusuapanyin Mireku, Mr. Darkwa commended Frederick Opoku for taking steps to address illegal practices within the rental sector. However, he argued that deploying a task force alone would not resolve the country’s housing crisis.
He described the initiative as largely a public relations exercise, urging the government to be more proactive in addressing the underlying issues that continue to drive high rental costs.
According to him, the sharp rise in the prices of building materials has significantly increased the cost of housing development, making it difficult for landlords to charge affordable rents. He therefore called on the government to implement measures to reduce the cost of construction materials.
Mr. Darkwa also raised concerns over the high hostel accommodation fees being charged at tertiary institutions, stressing that students continue to bear an increasing financial burden.
He further appealed to the government to focus on delivering affordable housing for workers, arguing that expanding access to decent and reasonably priced housing would provide a more sustainable solution to Ghana’s rental challenges than enforcement measures alone.
By: Bernard Mensah |Planbfmonline.com
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