Accra,(Greater Accra) 6 Nov. Mr Johnson Yaw Buadu, national acting chief rent officer, today said it is a criminal offence to increase rent without prior approval from the rent office. ''My office is charged with the duty of regulating rent in the country. It is a crime for any landlord to increase rent without our knowledge,'' he said. Mr Buadu told the GNA that every offence under the Rent Act 220, 1963, is a crime and warned that landlords and tenants should do well to comply with the provisions of the law. He deplored the common practice whereby landlords and landladies demand high rent advances covering longer periods than the tenancy. ''It is an offence for more than one month's advance, for example, to be charged for a monthly tenancy''. The rent officer also touched on the increment of rent for a premises improved by the tenant and advised that tenants must be sure to get their landlords to give an undertaking before embarking on any improvement project. Mr Buadu said such an undertaking should state the cost of the project and the number of years the tenant is entitled to enjoy increment-free rent. He said his office is to start a public education programme in which it hopes to ''bring the activities of Rent office to the knowledge of Ghanaians''.

He dismissed the idea that the rent office is a ''control organization'' explaining that in this era of trade liberalization his office only regularises rent, rather than enforcing rigid control measures. Mr Buadu asked landlords and the public to cooperate with his office to bring peace and reconciliation between tenants and their landlords.