Business News of Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
Entrepreneur and farmer, John Dumelo, has expressed concern over the stringent financial terms imposed on rent charges in the country for residential properties.
According to him, the norm where tenants are made to pay rent advance of two to three years is "killing" Ghanaians. He therefore wants the situation to be critically addressed by the relevant authorities.
In a post shared via X on January 30, 2024, John Dumelo wrote “2-3 years rent advance is ‘killing’ a lot of Ghanaians….”
It would not be the first time, John Dumelo has waded into the rent situation in country. In September 2023, he called for the arrest of any landlord in the country demanding payment of two-years advance from tenants for residential properties.
Dumelo also bemoaned the inability of the Rent Control Department to curb the practice of landlords demanding tenants to make these upfront payments that erode the life savings of the youth and deprives many Ghanaians of accessing affordable housing.
"The rent control office needs to be closed down!!! What is their use? Landlords are still demanding two years rent advance and tenants have no one to speak for them," Dumelo earlier said.
“Any landlord who demands 2 years rent advance for a residential property should be arrested!" he wrote via X in September 2023.
Meanwhile, the issue of rent and rent advance payment has been of major concern to many Ghanaians especially the youth.
In Ghana, the legally accepted payment for rent is a maximum of six months yet landlords have found ways to demand huge upfront payments from tenants before granting them access to residential properties.
See John Dumelo's post below:
2-3 years Rent advance is “killing” a lot of Ghanaians….. #rentinGhana
— Farmer John (@johndumelo) January 30, 2024