According to the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Rent Control Department (RCD), Emmanuel Hovey Kporsu,, the Rent Act of 1963, Act 220 section 5, prohibits landlords from forcibly evicting tenants who report them for wrongdoings.
He clarified that it is illegal for landlords or landladies to evict their tenants who complain about them to the Rent Control Department due to miscommunication, particularly if the tenant has not broken any of the terms contained in the lease agreement.
The PRO said that landlords who take advantage of renters and evict them for such reasons will be made to pay for their actions.
“So, there is this right of tenant that we’re not exploring. If you report a landlord for such an issue, the landlord has no right to evict you or come out with an excuse that my son is coming or I want to renovate the place.
“Until your tenancy expires, the law says that if you’ve not contravened any of the provisions in the Act, the landlord has no right to evict you.
“So, this cannot be a basis on which your landlord can stand to evict you. Of course, I understand after your tenancy he can tell you that I don’t want to renew for you again but within your tenancy, the landlord cannot say that I want to refund your money for you because you’ve gone to report me on this assessment issues so I’m evicting you.
“You have the right to stay there for the period of the tenancy that you’ve signed,” he said.
He noted that it has become difficult for the department to do its regular duties because of ineffective logistics, as sometimes they are forced to rely on clients for transportation.
He added that, out of the 58 offices of the RCD across the country, they can only boast of 4 cars nationwide.
He urged the government to assist the department by providing all the working resources and logistics they require in order to do their job efficiently.