President John Dramani Mahama has urged tenants across Ghana to report landlords who demand rent advances exceeding the legal limit, emphasizing the need for stricter enforcement to curb exploitation in the country’s housing sector.
Speaking during a meeting with Organised Labour at the Jubilee House on Tuesday, March 17, President Mahama highlighted the mounting burden of housing costs on households, noting that accommodation expenses continue to consume a significant portion of incomes.
“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.
The President linked the rise in excessive rent advance demands to Ghana’s ongoing housing deficit, which, he said, has allowed some landlords to impose unlawful charges on tenants. While the law caps rent advances at six months, some landlords continue to demand 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.
President Mahama encouraged tenants to take action by reporting such cases, 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 said.
His remarks come amid growing public concern over the practice of landlords demanding rent advances of up to two years, a trend widely criticized as unlawful and exploitative. The President’s call underscores the government’s commitment to ensuring fair housing practices and protecting tenants’ rights.
