Ghanaian Man on TikTok Reacts to Newly Passed Rent Control Bill in Viral Video
- Saahene, a Ghanaian TikTok user, has shared his thoughts on the new Rent Control Bill that has taken effect after being passed into law
- He argued that the new legislation cancels the goodwill tenants previously enjoyed, such as temporary extensions for rent payment.
- His commentary has sparked discussion across social media platforms, among tenants about the implications that the new legislation may bring
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A Ghanaian man, identified as Saahene, has taken to TikTok to share his views on the newly passed Rent Control Bill.
Saahene described the law as seemingly welcoming and financially beneficial for tenants across the country.
Source: TikTok
However, he cautioned that certain provisions of the regulation could pose challenges for tenants in the future.
The Rent Control Bill reforms Ghana’s rental housing system by reducing high rent advance payments and strengthening tenant protections.
Under the law, landlords are limited to requesting a maximum of six months’ rent in advance, a significant shift from the previous practice of one- to two-year advance payments.
Saahene highlighted that while the law is designed to make renting more affordable, transparent, and regulated, it also stipulates that tenants must pay immediately after the expiration of the six-month advance.
Failure to do so may result in losing their rented space.
He noted that the previous system allowed tenants some flexibility, enabling them to overstay temporarily while arranging funds, a goodwill that many tenants previously relied on.
Source: Getty Images
According to him, this new regulation effectively cancels such informal leniency, which could create difficulties for some renters.
His TikTok commentary has since sparked reactions across social media, with many tenants weighing in on the potential benefits and pitfalls of the new law.
Watch the TikTok video here:
'Report landlord demanding two-years advance rent'- Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has encouraged tenants to report landlords who request more than the legally allowed rent advance to the appropriate authorities.
Source: Facebook
The President called for stricter enforcement to curb exploitation in the housing sector.
President Mahama said this during a dialogue with Organised Labour at the Jubilee House in Accra on Tuesday, March 17.
In his speech, the President emphasised that the increasing housing costs place a heavy burden on households, making access to affordable accommodation increasingly difficult.
"Housing is a major problem, and for households, it is consuming their income. We need to have a national housing dialogue and decide how, between the private sector, government, and labour, we can come together and come up with a social housing policy to make sure that we provide affordable housing for workers to purchase on a mortgage or to be able to rent at a favourable cost," he stated."
The President said the growing trend of excessive rent demands contributes to the country’s housing deficit.
He pledged to address the housing deficit challenge while noting that some landlords are exploiting the situation to impose unlawful charges on tenants.
"The reason why the private house owners are taking advantage is because of the deficit in housing. We have the rent court, and we say do not take more than six months of rent advance, but the one who is renting and the house owner are both not prepared to go to the rent court."
President Mahama entreated tenants to intentionally report the actions of such landlords to the appropriate authorities, which are the rent court. He assured that the landlords found guilty would be held accountable.
"You can go and report him to the rent court, and we will hold that landlord accountable."
President Mahama's comment comes after increasing concerns from the public over the practice of landlords requesting up to two years' rent in advance, a situation said to be unlawful and exploitative.
Lady celebrates as landlord approves monthly rent
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that a young Ghanaian lady shared that her landlord had revised her rent payment agreement from a yearly advance payment to a monthly payment.
According to her, she had been beside herself with worry since the beginning of the year about how to raise money to pay a year’s rent.
Her news sparked conversations online about the need to shift rent payment agreements from the yearly advance system to a monthly payment structure.
Source: YEN.com.gh
