Rent Control Department says Agent fees fuel Ghana’s high rent
The Senior Rent Officer and Head of Public Relations at the Rent Control Department, Emmanuel Xove Kporsu, has attributed the rising cost of rent in Ghana to unregulated agent activities.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Friday, November 21, Mr Kporsu said the conduct of some agents and brokers continues to distort the rental market, pushing tenants to pay far more than they should.
He explained that the Real Estate Agency Act, passed in 2020, and a subsequent stakeholder engagement held in October, are intended to sanitise the sector by regulating fees and operations of agents. According to him, a council has already been established to oversee the implementation of the law.
Mr Kporsu noted that under the new framework, the council will prescribe approved fees for anyone operating as an agent or broker, issue licences and certificates, and ensure only qualified persons operate within the space.
“You cannot sit under a tree and call yourself an agent. It is an offence to call yourself an agent if you do not have your licence. The space will be regulated,” he stressed.
He further linked high rental charges to collusion between landlords and unregistered agents, explaining that although the law prohibits landlords from demanding more than six months’ rent advance, some agents influence landlords to request as much as two years.
“The agent is a contributor to the high rent in Ghana. The law says the landlord does not have the right to demand more than six months’ rent advance, but the tenant has the right to pay more than six months.
“The issue is that the agent colludes with the landlord to demand two years because they feel their fees are small if they take only six months,” he said.
