Francis Asenso-Boakye
MINISTER FOR Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye, says reforming the existing legislation on rent in the face of rapid urbanisation will breathe new life in rent administration and promote a delicate balance between the needs of landlords and tenants.
Acknowledging the importance of the provision of housing to government’s developmental goals, Asenso-Boakye stated that the reforms will help increase access to housing by the ordinary Ghanaians, adding that the new Act should be able to “safeguard the rights of vulnerable tenants who have been out priced by the uncontrollable hikes in the cost of rental accommodation.”
Speaking at a colloquium to review the existing Rent Act and Bill for the establishment of the Ghana Housing Authority, he also explained that the establishment of the proposed Ghana Housing Authority will be key in the country’s ability to regulate, plan, develop and manage housing development.
“There must be concerted efforts to address the current precarious situation in the housing sector where home ownership has become a very complex and expensive venture for most Ghanaians,” the minister noted.
Stakeholders recently undertook a review of the existing law meant to among other things bring sanity in the administration of rental housing and remove inherent constraints on housing supply in the country.
The relevance of the existing law, Rent Act, 1963 (Act 220) as amended and passed by Parliament some 59 years ago, has been outlived by the current population growth, urbanisation and demand and supply imbalance.
This situation has saddled the rental housing industry with huge challenges, with landlords demanding years of advance rent.
Chairperson and Vice-Chancellor of the KNUST, Prof. Mrs. Rita A. Dickson, said such national assignment will open avenues to set up key priorities and develop concrete plans of actions based on detailed international comparative analysis.
Prof. Dickson expressed the belief that the deliberations will produce stimulating and invigorating inputs for the needed reforms in the Rent Law as well as the Ghana Housing Authority Bill.