General News of Sunday, 24 September 2023

Source: rainbowradioonline.com

Improve outdated rent law or we'll give you a showdown - Tenants Association to Akufo-Addo

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

The National Tenants Union is threatening to show the government a showdown if the government doesn’t improve Rent Control’s work and expedite the process of changing the current rent law.

According to the Union, the current rent law has outlived its usefulness, but no meaningful effort has been made to change the law.

The group’s Secretary, Frederick Opoku, claims that the “current rent control law has outlived its usefulness. We’ve been complaining for a long time, and they keep promising to fix it. They have informed us that the law is being considered by parliament. We want things done quickly."

"We want to convey a strong message to them that if they do not speed up the process of changing the law, we will have a showdown with them. We’ll show them that we have the numbers. Our membership is massive, and if we choose to challenge them, we will be able to do it.”

He also encouraged the government to adequately fund the rent control department for it to be effective, responsive, and proactive.

He claimed that the department is under-resourced and unable to address concerns impacting tenants in Ghana.

“Those who work in the rent control department also rent.” Most of them have been evicted from their rented apartments. The government is not serious about housing and the referees who will assist us in addressing our complaints as tenants lack the capacity and means to work.

"They don’t even have cars, and tenants are compelled to charter cabs and pay both in and out for rent officers to accompany them and address their issues.”