Rent Control Department Is Not Toothless, We’re Working – PRO | Social

The Rent Control Department (RCD) refutes claims that it is toothless in ensuring that tenants are not exploited by landlords.

Speaking in an interview on GhanaWeb’s ‘The Lowdown’ programme, RCD’s Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Hovey Kporsu, said the department has limited resources, but is doing its job to manage Ghana’s rental sector.

He added that most tenants are exploited because they do not seek the services of the Rent Control Department.

“Although we lack some physical things to do the job to the extreme, I don’t want to take an opinion there (that the department is toothless).

“We get the mandate from the Rent Act, Act 220, and specifically section 5 (of the Act) provides for the functions of the Rent Control Department,” said Hovey Kporsu.

He said the department is mandated by law to determine the cost of leased facilities through pre-defined assessment criteria and resolve disputes between tenants and landlords.

According to him, the department issues certificates of facility rental fees to tenants and landlords, and these certificates can be requested by tenants at the RCD office to avoid being cheated.

“Because we don’t know about the Act, we just give in to the landlord’s rent,” he said.

The PRO, therefore, called on Ghanaians to report landlords who exploit them to the department without fear of eviction.

“… your landlord has no right to evict you… until your lease is up. The Act says that if you do not violate any of the provisions of the Act, the landowner has no right to evict you,” he said.