Landlords Have No Power To Throw Out Tenants -

Lease or rent payments has consistently been a ‘headache’ for several people around the world, especially in Africa. In Ghana, there has consistently been issues between tenants and their property owners on assorted lease issues.

The Rent control office, who serve as a mediator for the two parties, have seen more awful issues brought to their outfit for a solution. Both the Landlord and the tenant have their respective responsibility to one another.

Unfortunately, some property owners enjoy taken benefit of certain paltry issues with their tenants to toss them out of their homes, whenever a slight chance like non-payment or delay in payment pops up.

Yet, as per the Rent Control Department of Ghana, house owners who toss out their tenants for not paying rent are in breach of the law.

The Public Relations Officer for the Rent Control Department of Ghana, Emmanuel Hovey Kporsu, says the appropriate body answerable for managing such issues is the Rent Control Department or the Magistrate, not Landlords.

According to Mr Kporsu, owners have no option to order any tenant out of their home, even if the lease expires. Regardless of whether the tenant energetically gives the property owner notice that they’ll vacant soon.

He said:

“It’s either the rent control officer or the magistrate who has the right to do so. On the basis that an offense has been committed, [you can report] and then we’ll investigate and if truly an offense has been committed, we can order the tenant out of the house”.