President Mahama urges tenants to report landlords charging over six months’ rent

President John Dramani Mahama has called on tenants to report landlords who demand more than the legally permitted six months’ rent in advance, stressing the need for stricter enforcement to curb exploitation in the housing sector.

Speaking during a dialogue with Organised Labour at the Jubilee House in Accra on Tuesday, March 17, the President highlighted the heavy burden rising housing costs continue to place on households. He urged collaboration between government, labour, and the private sector to develop solutions that improve access to affordable accommodation.

“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.

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President Mahama attributed the practice of excessive rent demands to the country’s housing deficit, noting that some landlords exploit the shortage to impose unlawful charges.

“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 take decisive action by reporting offenders to the rent court, assuring that violators would face accountability.

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“You can go and report him to the rent court, and we will hold that landlord accountable,” he emphasised.

The President’s remarks come amid widespread concerns over landlords demanding up to two years’ rent in advance, a practice widely condemned as unlawful and exploitative.