The Rent Control Department has clarified that its ongoing clampdown on unlawful hostel fee increases is aimed at ensuring fairness and protecting students, not discouraging private investment in the accommodation sector.
Speaking on Channel One TV, Acting Rent Commissioner Fredrick Opoku said the exercise forms part of broader efforts to address the rising cost of student accommodation and ease the financial burden on students and their families.
According to him, the intervention is being implemented through engagement and proper assessment rather than arbitrary enforcement.
He explained that the department is committed to working collaboratively with hostel owners to ensure that pricing structures comply with existing regulations while maintaining fairness for all parties involved.
“Students across the country are suffering, parents across the country are suffering, and the government is determined to see this problem resolved, but not using any Rambo-style or gorilla means. We are trying to do it systematically and through true engagement,” he stated.
Mr. Opoku explained that the assessment exercise will be extended nationwide through to the end of the year, after which the department will intensify oversight of hostel pricing. He urged hostel operators to consult the Rent Control Department before effecting any future fee increases to prevent arbitrary charges.
“We shouldn’t see this as attacking anybody’s business. This is about building a better Ghana for all of us. Landlords, property owners, tenants and students will all benefit if this is done well,” he said.
His comments come on the back of unannounced inspections at hostels around University of Professional Studies, Accra and University of Ghana over alleged unlawful price hikes, an exercise that began on Wednesday, May 6.
