The Rent Control Department has reiterated that agents are proscribed from charging a 10 per cent fee warning that the trend must end.

Speaking on Ghana Kasa on Agoo T.V/Kasapa 102.5 FM, the Public Relations Officer for the Rent Control Department of Ghana, Emmanuel Hovey Kporsu, maintained agents who insist on collecting 10 percent from both parties are in breach of the law.

“We’re sounding it to all agents that they don’t have the right to collect the 10 percent fee they have been asking for. The maximum they’re entitled to, according to the Act, Section 25 is to collect 5% on the rent the Landlord is charging. The public must report such cases to us. It’s against the law,” he told host Nana Ama Annor in an interview.

Meanwhile, he said, the department as part of its mandate is responsible to assist prospective tenants to secure accommodation, urging the public to patronize its offices in that regard.

“If both the Landlord and the prospective tenants can utilize our offices well enough in rent matters, there would be no need for these middlemen[agents] who are exploiting tenants.

“If you’re looking for accommodation, just walk to our offices, if we don’t have some readily available for rent, we’ll just put your information down and get back to you anytime we get some.”