The Acting Rent Control Commissioner, Mr. Frederick Opoku, has extended his nationwide inspection of tertiary institution hostels to the University of Cape Coast (UCC), where he uncovered what he described as widespread exploitation and arbitrary pricing by private hostel operators.
The inspection, conducted on Tuesday, June 30, brought together officials from the Rent Control Department, the University of Cape Coast, the Students’ Representative Council (SRC), and hostel managers to assess accommodation conditions and rental charges affecting students.
The delegation included the UCC SRC President, Mr. Kwame Ntiamoah Ntim, the Vice Dean of Students, Dr. Samuel Essamuah Assabil, student leaders, and representatives of private hostels.
During the exercise, the team discovered that several hostel operators were allegedly charging students exorbitant accommodation fees without obtaining the required price assessment or approval from the Rent Control Department.
The findings have raised fresh concerns about the affordability of student accommodation and compliance with Ghana’s rent regulations.
Addressing hostel managers after the inspection, Mr. Opoku issued a strong warning against arbitrary rent increases.
“Today, I want to make this declaration that I came to Cape Coast to remind hostel operators that some weeks ago I directed that hostel operators should not increase their rents and that assessments should be done under Section 10 of the Rent Act,” he said.
He stressed that the Rent Control Department derives its authority from the country’s rent laws to regulate rent assessments.
“It is on this authority and the mandate of the rent law of the Republic that I stand to remind all hostel operators once again, including AKB Hostels, that they are prohibited by law from sitting at home and increasing their rents. AKB and other hostels alike are from today stopped from making any attempt to increase rents.”
Mr. Opoku further warned that the department would not hesitate to enforce the law against defaulting operators.
“Any hostel that continues to defy this directive will be prosecuted.”
The inspection concluded with a meeting at the office of the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Professor Dennis Worlanyo Aheto, where discussions focused on long-term measures to improve regulation of off-campus student accommodation.
Mr. Opoku also announced plans to establish a dedicated Rent Control Desk on the UCC campus to provide guidance on rent-related matters, monitor compliance, and help resolve disputes between students and hostel operators.
Professor Aheto welcomed the initiative, expressing the university’s commitment to collaborating with the Rent Control Department to protect students from unfair rental practices and promote decent accommodation standards.
The UCC exercise forms part of the Rent Control Department’s nationwide inspection of student hostels, following similar visits to the University of Ghana and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), aimed at ensuring compliance with rent regulations and protecting students from exploitation.
Read also: New SRC Directive Shields Students from Rent Hikes
Source: Angelina Riley Hayford/ATLFMNEWS
