Ashaiman caretaker ordered to compensate female tenant over sex-for-rent scandal

The Crime Check Foundation has highlighted troubling cases of alleged sexual exploitation between landlords, caretakers and tenants within the Ashaiman Municipality, citing findings from the Ashaiman Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centre.

According to the report referenced by Crime Check Foundation, a caretaker managing a property in the landlord’s absence rented out a room to a female tenant for two years.

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During the tenancy, the caretaker began a romantic relationship with the woman and verbally extended her stay by an additional year after her initial rent period expired.

The report states that the caretaker later granted yet another one-year extension while maintaining the relationship, even after the woman became pregnant by another man.

When the relationship eventually ended, the landlord asked the woman to vacate the premises.

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However, she refused, insisting that there had been a one-year extension via verbal tenancy agreement after the initial term. During proceedings, the caretaker admitted he was not the owner of the property and claimed he had acted on the landlord’s instructions to recover the room.

The Ashaiman Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centre subsequently persuaded him to compensate the woman.

The annual report, compiled by three mediators at the Ashaiman ADR Centre, further revealed allegations that some landlords within the municipality have been demanding sexual favours from female tenants in place of rent payments.

In certain instances, the report indicated that landlords allegedly agreed to accept sex instead of rent for specific periods. It also disclosed that some caretakers exploited female prospective tenants by requesting sexual favours despite not being the property owners.

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In a separate case captured in the report, a landlord reportedly evicted a tenant after discovering him engaged in a sexual relationship with his wife.

The ADR Centre noted that many of the disputes handled during the period stemmed from financial challenges, sharp rent increments and tenants’ inability to meet rental obligations, often due to job losses.