The Acting Rent Commissioner of Ghana, Fredrick Opoku, has said President John Dramani Mahama is the first leader in the country’s history to appoint a Rent Commissioner as required by law.
According to him, previous administrations failed to appoint a commissioner despite constitutional provisions mandating the position.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Mr. Opoku said his immediate priority is to restore order and ensure strict enforcement of laws governing Ghana’s housing and rental sector.
“This is the first time we are having a Rent Commissioner in the history of Ghana. President Mahama is the first president to appoint a commissioner as the Constitution stipulates; all other presidents failed to do so,” he stated.
“My mission now is to ensure order and enforce the law in the Rent Department,” he added.
Mr. Opoku described the housing market as chaotic, blaming years of weak enforcement and disregard for regulations.
“The housing market is very chaotic. My priority is to restore order and enforcement of the law. The system has been dented for a very long time,” he said.
He explained that the Rent Department intends to focus on public education and sensitisation to increase awareness of existing rental laws and regulations.
“So we want to restore order first through education and sensitisation about the existence of the law,” he noted.
The Acting Rent Commissioner further indicated that many illegal practices within the housing sector have become normalised over the years due to the absence of strict enforcement.
“People have acted illegally for a long time and it’s now a norm, so when you are trying to change it, people still doubt,” he said.
Mr. Opoku, however, expressed confidence in carrying out his mandate, citing what he described as strong support from the President.
“If you have a supportive President who knows the law has to work, then you have a strong backing and there won’t be interference on your way,” he added.
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