Acting Rent Commissioner Frederick Opoku says landlords and property owners cannot arbitrarily determine rent charges without proper assessment, insisting that the law requires all rental properties to be assessed.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Super Morning Show, Mr Opoku criticised what he described as growing “lawlessness” within Ghana’s rental market, where some landlords allegedly fix rental prices without regulatory oversight.

“That’s where I’m talking about the lawlessness,” he stated. “The law says you assess. We will assess you.”

According to him, investment in real estate does not exempt property owners from complying with Ghana’s rent laws.

Mr Opoku argued that while investors have the right to make returns on their properties, rental charges must still be subjected to fair assessment processes to ensure equity and transparency.

“You cannot sit down, do your own calculations and peg anything because you’re an investor,” he stressed.

His comments come amid increasing public concerns over rising rent costs in major cities such as Accra and Kumasi, where tenants have repeatedly complained about arbitrary pricing and demands for advance payments.

The Acting Rent Commissioner disclosed that authorities are preparing to review existing rent assessment mechanisms as part of broader efforts to strengthen enforcement under the Rent Act.

According to him, property owners will be allowed to bring in experts during the assessment process to ensure fairness and transparency.

Mr Opoku further hinted at possible amendments to portions of the Rent Act before the end of the year to address gaps in enforcement and improve regulatory compliance within the housing sector.