Rent Control Department Orders Hostel Operators to Refund Students by November 17

• Ghana's Rent Control Department directed UGEL and all private hostel operators nationwide to suspend unassessed rent increases immediately
• The directive followed a petition by the University of Ghana Students' Representative Council over proposed accommodation fee hikes
• Operators who fail to comply with the refund order face inspections, investigations and potential legal consequences

The Rent Control Department has ordered the University of Ghana Enterprises Limited (UGEL) and private hostel operators across the country to halt all unassessed rent increases and return excess charges to affected tenants no later than 17 November 2026.

The directive, contained in a press release dated Monday, 2 November, requires operators to revert to their previous rental rates and hold those rates in place until the formal rent assessment process has been completed and all legal conditions for implementing new charges have been satisfied.

The department said the action followed a petition submitted by the University of Ghana Students' Representative Council (UGSRC), which asked for a review of accommodation fee proposals put forward by UGEL.

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After seeking clarification from UGEL through correspondence dated 26 October 2026, the department resolved to extend the scope of its directive beyond UGEL to cover all private hostel owners and operators in the country whose properties fall within the coverage of Ghana's rent laws.

Operators are required to calculate the difference between the rates tenants previously paid and the higher amounts they were charged, and refund that difference within a 14-day window running from 3 to 17 November 2026.

The department stated clearly that hostel operators must not intimidate, threaten, harass or victimise any tenant who questions a rent increase, seeks a refund or reports a suspected violation. It added that officials would carry out inspections, review tenancy and payment records, verify refunds and investigate complaints to monitor compliance.

Operators found to have broken the law could face enforcement measures and the applicable legal penalties.

University of Ghana Accommodation Dispute

The directive arrives against a backdrop of sustained opposition to accommodation fee hikes at the University of Ghana.

UGEL originally proposed a 26 per cent increase, which student representatives rejected outright. Revised figures of 15 per cent for four-person rooms and 19 per cent for two-person rooms were subsequently tabled, but concerns over affordability continued to mount.

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A group calling itself the Concerned Students' Movement had announced plans for a demonstration, pressing for lower fees, refunds for students who had already paid the higher rates and greater openness in how accommodation charges are determined.

Both the UGSRC and the Graduate Students' Association of Ghana urged students to stay away from the planned protest, while still acknowledging the legitimacy of concerns about rising accommodation costs.

Source: YEN.com.gh