The Acting Commissioner of Rent Control, Frederick Opoku, has directed landlords and private hostel operators in the country to prepare and issue rent cards to tenants or face prosecution. 

He said it was mandatory for them to issue the rent cards and enter into a proper tenancy agreement with their clients, warning that those who failed to do so were liable to six months' imprisonment. 

Mr Opoku explained that landlords or hostel operators “who fail to issue rent cards or tenancy agreement documents to tenants” breached Section 20 of the Act 220 and the PNDC Law 138 (Act 1986). 

Addressing a news conference in Sunyani, the acting commissioner warned that landlords and private hostel operators who breached the law were liable to a minimum fine of 200 penalty units or a six-month jail term or both. 

Mr Opoku encouraged tenants and students in private hostels to insist on proper documentation and receipts from their landlords and endeavour to keep those documents as evidence. 

He said that those receipts and documents were required to enable the rent control to check and monitor unlawful and unfair rent and hostel charges. 

Mr Opoku said the rent control had oversight responsibilities to regulate, supervise, assess and ensure that private hostel operators in the country undertake their operations within the confines of the law. 

He said that Section 2 of the Rent Act mandated the Commissioner to enforce the law and advised the landlords and hostel operators to do the right thing in order not to find trouble for themselves. 

Mr Opoku called on the government to set up affordable housing facilities for university students and to prevent private hostel operators from collecting exorbitant charges from students.