Students and parents are facing worsening housing conditions around Ghana’s tertiary institutions, with authorities warning of widespread rent irregularities and unsafe hostel practices.
The Acting Rent Commissioner, Frederick Opoku, says recent inspections near major university campuses revealed “scary and damaging” breaches of rental regulations, including inflated charges and overcrowded accommodation.
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Monday (11 May), he said the Rent Control Directorate acted after receiving petitions from students complaining about exploitative hostel conditions.
“We received petitions from students and decided to go into the field. What we found was scary and damaging,” he said.
According to him, several hostel operators were charging excessive fees without undergoing the mandatory rent assessment process required by law.
“Increasing rent requires application and assessment. That was not being followed,” he explained.
He also raised concerns about severely congested rooms, citing examples where four students were housed in very small spaces while paying high fees.
Opoku said the findings point to landlords and operators taking advantage of high demand around institutions such as the University of Ghana and the University of Professional Studies, Accra.
He argued that while demand plays a role, existing rent laws prohibit arbitrary price hikes without official assessment.
“People are exploiting demand. But the law requires assessment before any increase,” he said.
The Rent Control Directorate says it is now collaborating with institutions to improve monitoring and strengthen compliance, especially in private hostels.
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